International Journal of Research and Innovation in Social Science (IJRISS) | Volume VI, Issue VII, July 2022 | ISSN 2454–6186
Ella Joy A. Ponce
Central Luzon State University, Philippines
Abstract: The Conditional Cash Transfer (CCT) program in the Philippines popularly known as the 4Ps or the Pantawid Pamilyang Pilipino Program aimed to improve the lives of poor Filipinos and promote better health and social status. This paper discussed the policy process of the 4Ps starting from problem identification to the agenda setting, then policy formulation/legitimation up to the implementation and evaluation. Through a review of related literature, public policy theories and frameworks such as the Black Box, Kingdon’s Streams Metaphor, etc. were used in explaining the various stages of the program. Data from the World Bank, NEDA, and DSWD were also presented in order to provide evidence for the different stages of the policy process of the program. Originally, the 4Ps targeted children 0-14 years old, however, it was changed to 0-18 years so as to address the need of the beneficiaries’ children to at least finish high school so as to have a relatively good job. Moreover, the 4Ps started with 284 thousand beneficiaries since its inception in 2008. In 2016, the program covers 79% of the poor households in the country which demands more budgets for the program. The formulation and legitimation of the 4Ps can be deduced from the discussion of Curry, et. al. (2013) of whether the 4Ps was truly an adoption of the Bolsa Familia or just an imitation of it. The cost-benefit evaluation of the 4Ps from the vantage point of a transnational actor has rendered it feasible to still be implemented and continued.
Keywords: Conditional Cash Transfer, Public Policy, Poverty Alleviation, Agenda Setting, Policy Process
I.INTRODUCTION
It is said that public policy as cited by Birkland (2011) can be defined as “what the government chooses to do or not to do” (Dye, 1992). The public policy process involves the recognition of a problem or issue which will be transformed as an agenda. From this, the policy or initiative will stem (Weiner, 2011). Certain alternatives will be presented so as to create choices that have its own costs and benefits. The policymaker will now decide and weigh his options in order to arrive with the best possible course to take for the making of the policy. In this light, the policies in place reflect the problems and concerns that a certain government prioritizes and the absence thereof signifies the neglect to pursue certain agendas.