The Department of Social Welfare and Development (DSWD) said Wednesday it plans to add 500,000 new beneficiaries to the Pantawid Pamilyang Pilipino Program (4Ps) this year.

DSWD Secretary Rex Gatchalian said the addition is part of a restoration effort following the graduation of millions of previous beneficiaries. “1.4 million out of the 4.4 million beneficiaries have already graduated from the program.

This means their lives have improved, and they no longer have children to support in school, so they were delisted from the program from 2022 up to the present,” he said in an interview on Unang Hirit.

Only 500,000 of the 1.4 million graduated beneficiaries will be replaced this year, Gatchalian said, citing data from the Philippine Statistics Authority (PSA) that identified half a million Filipinos still classified as poor who may qualify for 4Ps.

Potential beneficiaries are selected using PSA household surveys conducted every two to three years. Eligibility criteria include being classified as a low-income or poor household and having children under 18.

Gatchalian emphasized there is no direct application process for the program but said families not included in the list may file an appeal with the DSWD.