COTABATO CITY – The Autonomous Region in Muslim Mindanao (ARMM) has formed its regional advisory committee (RAC) for the government’s “Pantawid Pamilyang Pilipino Program” or 4Ps to intensify efforts against poverty and improve the health, nutrition, education, and economic condition of its populace.

The RAC is an inter-agency cooperation that aims to effectively implement the 4Ps and translate national policies into region-specific operational guidelines, according to acting Secretary Pombae Kader of the ARMM’s Department of Social Welfare and Development (DSWD-ARMM).

The DSWD leads the RAC with the Department of Health (DoH), Department of Education (DepEd), Department of the Interior and Local Government (DILG), the Regional Development Planning Office (RPDO), and the ARMM’s Bureau of Public Information (BPI) as members.

The 4Ps, one of the major anti-poverty programs of the government through the DSWD, is a five-year program of the President launched in 2008 amid the global economic meltdown.

It is a conditional cash transfer program originated in Latin America and Africa and was divided into three sets.

Kader said the 4Ps program provides modest cash grants to identified extremely poor families with the condition that the money will be spent for health and education of their children particularly from zero to 14 years of age.

Under the 4Ps, each family will receive monthly cash grants amounting to at least P1,400 for five years for health services and education of three children.

Each child will have P300 for education or a total of P900 for the three children, while the P500 will be used for the family’s basic health service.