The Department of Social Welfare (DSWD) revealed on Thursday that the recently approved 2025 National Expenditure Program (NEP) had social protection is among the top priorities.

This, as the agency reaffirmed its commitment to social protection programs, highlighting their importance in the government’s spending priorities for 2025.

DSWD Assistant Secretary Juan Carlo Marquez said social protection is among the top areas in the 2025 NEP approved by President Ferdinand Marcos Jr. on 2 July.

“The DSWD, under Secretary Rex Gatchalian, assures the public that our ongoing initiatives align with the Marcos administration’s priorities,” Marquez said.

Social protection joins food security, healthcare, housing, disaster resilience, infrastructure, digital connectivity, and energization as key areas in the President’s 8-Point Socioeconomic Agenda and the Philippine Development Plan for 2023-2028.

The NEP, upon approval by Congress, will become the General Appropriations Bill and eventually the General Appropriations Act after signing into law.

The DSWD’s proposed budget for 2025 is P229.3 billion, nearly half of which is allocated to the Pantawid Pamilyang Pilipino Program (4Ps) — the government’s flagship program for poverty alleviation, providing cash grants to beneficiary households to help them achieve self-sufficiency.

“We recently partnered with private agencies to digitize cash assistance disbursement for 4Ps beneficiaries and other DSWD social protection programs,” Marquez said.

Plans under social protection include establishing and upgrading interoperable social registries for targeting vulnerable sectors, and shifting to digital payments for cash transfer programs.

Marquez added that achieving a universal, modern, and integrated social protection system, along with developing adaptable interventions for various situations, are also priorities.

“Once approved, this will benefit qualified and compliant beneficiaries, ensuring continued receipt of grants that will help them attain self-sufficiency and eventually break the cycle of poverty in their families,” said Marquez.

Also, the DSWD is set to launch a dynamic social registry to improve the exchange of updated demographic and migration data, crucial for identifying and supporting vulnerable households.