MALOLOS CITY (PIA) – The Provincial Government of Bulacan has granted 20,141 graduates of the Pantawid Pamilyang Pilipino Program (4Ps) a Damayan sa Familia Access Card (DFAC), to ensure continued access to essential government services even after exiting the program.
Approved by the Provincial Advisory Council (PAC) on 4Ps, this initiative will remain valid for future 4Ps graduates, reinforcing the province’s commitment to sustained social protection and development.
According to Provincial Social Welfare and Development Office (PSWDO) Head Rowena Tiongson, the DFAC guarantees that 4Ps graduates can still avail of key services, projects, and programs of the provincial government.
Through this initiative, the provincial government seeks to prevent beneficiaries from slipping back into poverty and help them achieve long-term financial stability.
The DFAC covers seven major programs including scholarship assistance, legal aid, livelihood support, referrals, and other social services.
Children of 4Ps graduates will be eligible for scholarships in senior high school, college, and even graduate school programs, to enable them to break the cycle of poverty.
The program also extends medical, food, and transportation assistance, including support for those returning to their provinces under the Balik-Probinsiya initiative, and even provides assistance for funeral expenses.
The 20,141 DFAC recipients were among the first batch of 4Ps graduates in Bulacan, dating back to the program’s inception in 2009.
Since then, 4Ps has evolved into a synergy-based anti-poverty initiative, modeled after successful international programs such as Bolsa Familia in Brazil and Progresa in Mexico.
Among the graduates is Merlita Ocampo, a 39-year-old resident of Barangay Caingin, Malolos City, who was a 4Ps beneficiary from 2014 to 2024. Her three children—now in Grades 11, 6, and 5—were all able to stay in school due to the program’s support. Now that her family has graduated from 4Ps, she believes that the DFAC will be instrumental in helping them sustain their progress.
“The 4Ps program empowered us to become self-reliant, and with the DFAC, we still have access to resources that will help us become self-sufficient,” Ocampo shared. (MJSC/SFV, PIA Region 3-Bulacan)
