Asian Development Bank (ADB) Headquarters, Ortigas Center, Mandaluyong City
13 January 2016

Underscoring government’s continuing efforts in addressing poverty in the country, President Benigno S. Aquino III graced the Conference on Sustaining the Gains of Conditional Cash Transfer (CCT) in the Philippines held at the Asian Development Bank (ADB) Headquarters in Mandaluyong City.

“We took a long, hard look at the situation…for the CCT to work, for it to have the impact that programs of its nature have achieved elsewhere – government had to expand the program’s scale and reach, and ensure a transparent process,” the President said in his keynote address.

Through the headship of the Department of Social Welfare and Development (DSWD, budget allocation for the CCT this year was further increased to P62.7 billion to cover 4.6 million households. President Aquino cited that one of its key expansions covers households with children in high school.

“I am told that 10.18 million children are benefitting from the CCT at present – 1.9 million of whom are now in high school,” he said.

In addition, according to the latest round of assessment by the National Household Targeting System, 1.55 million CCT families (or over 7.7 million individuals) were lifted out of poverty.

“…With enough political will, the right and prudent concentration of resources and funds, and the proper implementation of a solution borne of our correct identification of problem – massive transformation can take place,” the President added.

The conference is an event organized by the DSWD that was attended by international CCT practitioners and implementers, as well as the Pantawid Pamilya program beneficiaries. Its scope is aimed at topics on the CCT’s impact in implementing countries, most especially in the Philippines, and its contribution to the country’s governance, economy and disaster risk management.

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