4PS BENEFICIARY SATISFACTION AND LONG-TERM SOCIOECONOMIC CHANGES AMONG SEVERAL BARANGAYS IN NORTH CALOOCAN CITY
Keywords:
Pantawid Pamilyang Pilipino Program, conditional cash transfer, beneficiary satisfaction, socioeconomic change, Caloocan CityAbstract
The Pantawid Pamilyang Pilipino Program (4Ps) is the Philippines’ flagship conditional cash transfer program, yet evidence on how beneficiaries judge its implementation, and whether that judgment relates to perceived long-term socioeconomic change, remains limited at the barangay level. This study determined the level of satisfaction of 4Ps beneficiaries with the adequacy of financial assistance, the timeliness of its release, and the transparency of beneficiary selection; assessed perceived long-term changes in daily needs, children’s education, and children’s healthcare; tested differences across barangays and the relationship between satisfaction and change; and identified the challenges beneficiaries encountered. A descriptive–correlational design was used. One hundred guardians of 4Ps beneficiary children, 20 from each of Barangays 167, 171, 176-A, 176-C, and 178 in North Caloocan City and with 3 to 11 years of participation, were selected through stratified random sampling and answered a validated researcher-made questionnaire in English or Filipino. Data were analyzed with frequencies, percentages, weighted means, one-way ANOVA (α = 0.05), and Spearman’s rho. Respondents were generally satisfied with the adequacy (barangay composite means 2.94–3.39), timeliness (2.73–3.37), and transparency (2.55–3.32) of implementation. The program’s perceived contribution was greatest for education (High Extent in four of five barangays; 3.06–3.57) and Moderate Extent overall for daily needs and healthcare, with Barangay 171 rating healthcare at Low Extent (2.29). Assessments differed significantly across barangays in all six dimensions (F = 4.67–62.30; tabular F = 2.87), and satisfaction was strongly and significantly related to long-term socioeconomic change (ρ = 0.681). Respondents agreed that they faced challenges (composite mean = 2.59), chiefly the inclusion of non-eligible households, insufficient assistance, grants spent on household bills, and difficulty achieving long-term self-sufficiency. Beneficiaries were satisfied with the 4Ps and perceived meaningful change, but experiences were uneven across barangays. The study recommends reviewing the adequacy of assistance against inflation, a clear payout schedule with prompt delay notices, clearer communication of selection criteria, standardized implementation across barangays, and stronger healthcare, livelihood, and skills-training support.
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