Pagtawid Patungong Pag-asa: A Case Study on the Instrumentality of Aftercare Programs in Sustaining the Development of Self-Sufficient 4Ps Graduate Households in Barangay Fairview, Quezon City.

Abstract

The World Bank reported that poverty reduction efforts worldwide will continue to slow down in the current decade, especially with the identified polycrisis contributing to the cause. Thankfully, the Philippines is expected to rise above the challenges of the polycrisis due to the effective poverty alleviation and social support systems present in the country. The Pantawid Pamilyang Pilipino Program (4Ps) has been identified and championed as one of the contributing factors to this claim. With its human capital investment and social protection strategy frameworks, online articles reveal the many success stories while statistical reports center on the improvements on national child health, child nutrition, and child enrollment rates brought about by the program. Additionally, post-program policies are also present in continuing the developmental changes cultivated by the graduated households of 4Ps. Despite the praises however, there remains to be limited knowledge on the life of the graduates after 4Ps. The two available studies on the theme reveal parallelistic results, one of adaptability and one of struggles. In response, this study explores the knowledge gaps on the matter, in particular: The educational, health, and financial conditions of the graduate households, the aftercare programs available and accessible, the observed benefits that contributed to the sustained development of the families, the strengths and weaknesses of the aftercare program processes, and the recommended changes to be implemented to the aftercare programs. These were conducted through semi-structured interviews with 8 4Ps household respondents from Barangay Fairview, Quezon City that graduated from the program between the years of 2023 to 2024 and were deemed self-sufficient level 3 in their last two SWDI evaluations. The data was analyzed using Thematic Analysis and SWOT Analysis through the Amartya Sen’s Capability Approach and DFID’s Sustainable Livelihood Approach lens. From the results, it was concluded that the graduate households see themselves as independent enough in their educational, health, and financial endeavors and actively find ways to improve on their condition as evident by the subscription to aftercare programs of some households. The health-centered aftercare programs follow the Capability Approach framework but the education and financial-livelihood aftercare programs still need to follow through. Finally educational aftercare programs are identified as the critical need of the families, with its selection of eligible beneficiaries as the main change they wish to be implemented.