MANILA – Majority of Filipinos believe that the government’s social welfare programs are helpful, surveys commissioned by the Stratbase Group have shown. 

Based on a poll conducted by the Social Weather Stations (SWS), 90 percent of Filipinos said the Pantawid Pamilyang Pilipino Program (4Ps) is helpful to them, while 88 percent of the respondents also said the same to the Tulong Panghanapbuhay sa Ating Disadvantaged/Displaced Workers (TUPAD) program.

The 4Ps provides subsidies for poor and near-poor families that agree to comply with conditions like bringing their children to medical checkups and making sure they attend their classes.

TUPAD, meanwhile, is the Department of Labor and Employment’s flagship emergency employment program for displaced and disadvantaged workers in the informal sector.

SWS said 81 percent of the respondents believed that the Ayuda sa Kapos ang Kita Program (AKAP) was helpful to individuals, just as the same percentage of respondents said that the government’s food stamp or the Walang Gutom Program was beneficial to underprivileged Pinoys.

AKAP, run by the Department of Social Welfare and Development, is a financial assistance program to help minimum-wage earners not covered by other programs of the DSWD.

This became controversial late last year after Sen. Imee Marcos said the fund was an insertion that was not included in President Ferdinand Marcos Jr’s proposed spending plan.

The Stratbase’s commissioned survey from the SWS polled 1,800 respondents from Jan. 17 to 20, 2025. It had a ±2 percent margin of error.

 Govt’s social welfare programs improved well-being, financial stability – Pulse

Meanwhile, the survey also commissioned by the Stratbase Group from Pulse Asia showed 8 of 10 Pinoys or 82 percent said the 4Ps “improved the financial stability of Filipinos from the lower social class.”

Eighty two percent of the respondents, on the other hand, said the TUPAD “is beneficial to the overall well-being of the Filipino people by providing livelihood and ensuring employment.”

AKAP, meanwhile, was helpful to the financial stability of Filipinos belonging to the lower class, 81 percent of those surveyed said.

Pulse Asia’s survey was conducted between Jan. 18 and 25, 2025 and had 2,400 respondents answering the questions centered on the usefulness and benefits of 4Ps, AKAP, and TUPAD programs.

It had a ±2 percent margin of error.

Stratbase Group President Dindo Manhit said it was important that the government’s social welfare programs become transparent as Filipinos rely on this amid the rising food prices.

Manhit noted that there was “no doubt that Filipinos can feel the importance and impact of the government's ayuda programs.”

“With 90% of Filipinos feeling the strain of rising food prices—particularly rice—social welfare programs have become an essential lifeline for struggling families. These programs serve as a safety net for Filipino families, which helps them meet their basic needs,” Manhit said in a release.

“There is a need to ensure that public funds serve their intended purpose--- to uplift the lives of the poor--- and not the personal interest of some,” he said.

Last week, the House of Representatives approved on second reading a bill that would institutionalize the AICS and ensure that the program would not be abused.

House Bill No. 11395 or the proposed AICS Act, aims to make certain that no public official would use the aid for their own benefit, just as it sought to ensure that the program would be continued in the succeeding administrations.