A lawmaker is advocating for a significant policy change in the government’s flagship anti-poverty program, the Pantawid Pamilyang Pilipino Program (4Ps) and urged the administration to replace monthly cash aid with livelihood capital for beneficiaries.

In a statement, Senator Erwin Tulfo — who chairs the Senate Committee on Social Justice, Welfare and Rural Development — proposed providing capital for small businesses, which he believes would empower poor families to become self-reliant and contribute more meaningfully to the economy.

He described the current monthly cash aid as “seemingly giving out” alms.

“Even some 4Ps members themselves would rather have livelihood capital instead of monthly cash transfers,” Tulfo said in a statement Sunday. He shared that this sentiment was directly conveyed to him by beneficiaries during his tenure as Secretary of the Department of Social Welfare and Development in 2022.

The senator cited that beneficiaries are often unfairly labeled as “freeloaders” or “lazy,” a stigma he attributes to misconceptions about the 4Ps program.

“It is also hard for them to hear that they are being called freeloaders, lazy, and that they do not add value to the country,” said Tulfo. “If we give them capital, they can use it to start businesses and contribute to the economy. We can provide them enough funds to start a sari-sari store, an eatery, or even engage in online selling.”