For eighteen years, the Pantawid Pamilyang Pilipino Program (4Ps) has stood as more than a government initiative. It has become a witness to countless stories of families choosing hope, children reaching graduation, parents daring to dream, and public servants quietly walking beside them every step of the way.
On July 27, 2026, the Department of Social Welfare and Development (DSWD) Field Office V – Bicol Region gathered its Pantawid Pamilyang Pilipino Program workforce to celebrate the program’s 18th anniversary through the activity dubbed “4Ps SINAG: Labing-Walong Taon ng Pagbibigay Liwanag sa Pangarap, Pagtataya, Pagbabago at Pagtataguyod.”
While employees from the Regional Program Management Office, Provincial Operations Offices, and Municipal Operations Offices joined virtually, the celebration at the DSWD Bicol Regional Office became a heartfelt tribute to the people who have dedicated years, some almost the entire life of the program, to serving Filipino families.
The anniversary celebration opened with the delivery of the Anniversary Letter of DSWD Secretary Rex Gatchalian, read by DSWD Field Office V Regional Director Norman S. Laurio, reminding every Pantawid worker that behind every accomplishment of the program is the unwavering commitment of its people.
In his message, Secretary Gatchalian reflected on how the program has grown since its establishment in 2008 and acknowledged the often unseen sacrifices of the workforce.
“𝙁𝙤𝙧 𝙢𝙖𝙣𝙮, 𝙩𝙝𝙚 4𝙋𝙨 𝙞𝙨 𝙥𝙚𝙧𝙘𝙚𝙞𝙫𝙚𝙙 𝙖𝙨 𝙤𝙣𝙡𝙮 𝙣𝙪𝙢𝙗𝙚𝙧𝙨 𝙝𝙤𝙪𝙨𝙚𝙝𝙤𝙡𝙙𝙨 𝙨𝙚𝙧𝙫𝙚𝙙, 𝙘𝙤𝙢𝙥𝙡𝙞𝙖𝙣𝙘𝙚 𝙧𝙖𝙩𝙚𝙨, 𝙜𝙧𝙖𝙙𝙪𝙖𝙩𝙞𝙤𝙣 𝙛𝙞𝙜𝙪𝙧𝙚𝙨, 𝙗𝙪𝙩 𝙗𝙚𝙝𝙞𝙣𝙙 𝙚𝙫𝙚𝙧𝙮 𝙨𝙩𝙖𝙩𝙞𝙨𝙩𝙞𝙘 𝙞𝙨 𝙖 𝙥𝙚𝙧𝙨𝙤𝙣𝙣𝙚𝙡 𝙬𝙝𝙤 𝙘𝙝𝙤𝙨𝙚 𝙩𝙤 𝙨𝙝𝙤𝙬 𝙪𝙥.”
He recognized the daily realities faced by Pantawid workers who continue to reach geographically isolated communities, conduct home visits, administer program assessments, and patiently guide beneficiaries despite difficult conditions.
“𝙋𝙪𝙗𝙡𝙞𝙘 𝙨𝙚𝙧𝙫𝙞𝙘𝙚 𝙞𝙨 𝙣𝙤𝙩 𝙚𝙖𝙨𝙮. 𝙄𝙩 𝙙𝙚𝙢𝙖𝙣𝙙𝙨 𝙧𝙚𝙨𝙞𝙡𝙞𝙚𝙣𝙘𝙚, 𝙚𝙢𝙥𝙖𝙩𝙝𝙮, 𝙗𝙚𝙡𝙞𝙚𝙛 -𝙚𝙨𝙥𝙚𝙘𝙞𝙖𝙡𝙡𝙮 𝙬𝙝𝙚𝙣 𝙥𝙧𝙤𝙜𝙧𝙚𝙨𝙨 𝙨𝙚𝙚𝙢𝙨 𝙨𝙡𝙤𝙬.”
The Secretary also expressed his gratitude to every member of the workforce for choosing to remain committed to the program through the years.
“𝙏𝙝𝙖𝙣𝙠 𝙮𝙤𝙪 𝙛𝙤𝙧 𝙘𝙝𝙤𝙤𝙨𝙞𝙣𝙜 𝙩𝙤 𝙨𝙩𝙖𝙮. 𝙏𝙝𝙖𝙣𝙠 𝙮𝙤𝙪 𝙛𝙤𝙧 𝙘𝙝𝙤𝙤𝙨𝙞𝙣𝙜 𝙩𝙤 𝙘𝙖𝙧𝙚. 𝙏𝙝𝙖𝙣𝙠 𝙮𝙤𝙪 𝙛𝙤𝙧 𝙗𝙚𝙞𝙣𝙜 𝙩𝙝𝙚 𝙦𝙪𝙞𝙚𝙩 𝙨𝙩𝙧𝙚𝙣𝙜𝙩𝙝 𝙗𝙚𝙝𝙞𝙣𝙙 𝙩𝙝𝙚 𝙨𝙪𝙘𝙘𝙚𝙨𝙨 𝙤𝙛 𝙩𝙝𝙚 4𝙋𝙨.”
Following the message, Regional Director Laurio led the ceremonial distribution of Secretary Gatchalian’s anniversary letter to representatives of the 4Ps workforce, symbolizing the Department’s appreciation for the dedication and commitment of Pantawid personnel throughout the country.
One of the most touching moments of the celebration came through the response messages delivered by employees representing different levels of the program implementation, each carrying not only years of service but also years of stories, challenges, and triumphs.
Representing the Regional Program Management Office was Harriet Mirandilla, Project Development Officer II and Regional Compliance Verification Officer, who has devoted 17 years to the program.
“𝙒𝙝𝙞𝙡𝙚 𝙬𝙚 𝙬𝙤𝙧𝙠 𝙛𝙤𝙧 𝙩𝙝𝙚 𝙢𝙤𝙨𝙩 𝙩𝙚𝙘𝙝𝙣𝙞𝙘𝙖𝙡 𝙖𝙣𝙙 𝙘𝙤𝙢𝙥𝙡𝙚𝙭 𝙥𝙧𝙤𝙘𝙚𝙨𝙨𝙚𝙨 𝙖𝙣𝙙 𝙥𝙧𝙤𝙜𝙧𝙖𝙢 𝙢𝙤𝙣𝙞𝙩𝙤𝙧𝙞𝙣𝙜, 𝙄 𝙘𝙤𝙣𝙩𝙞𝙣𝙪𝙚 𝙩𝙤 𝙘𝙖𝙧𝙧𝙮 𝙬𝙞𝙩𝙝 𝙢𝙚—𝙩𝙝𝙚 𝙝𝙚𝙖𝙧𝙩 𝙤𝙛 𝙖 𝙨𝙤𝙘𝙞𝙖𝙡 𝙬𝙤𝙧𝙠𝙚𝙧. 𝘽𝙚𝙮𝙤𝙣𝙙 𝙘𝙤𝙢𝙥𝙡𝙞𝙖𝙣𝙘𝙚 𝙧𝙚𝙥𝙤𝙧𝙩 𝙖𝙣𝙙 𝙤𝙥𝙚𝙧𝙖𝙩𝙞𝙤𝙣𝙖𝙡 𝙧𝙚𝙦𝙪𝙞𝙧𝙚𝙢𝙚𝙣𝙩𝙨, 𝙄 𝙖𝙡𝙬𝙖𝙮𝙨 𝙧𝙚𝙢𝙞𝙣𝙙 𝙢𝙮𝙨𝙚𝙡𝙛 𝙩𝙝𝙖𝙩 𝙚𝙫𝙚𝙧𝙮 𝙛𝙞𝙜𝙪𝙧𝙚 𝙞𝙣 𝙤𝙪𝙧 𝙧𝙚𝙥𝙤𝙧𝙩 𝙧𝙚𝙥𝙧𝙚𝙨𝙚𝙣𝙩 𝙖 𝙛𝙖𝙢𝙞𝙡𝙮 𝙨𝙩𝙧𝙞𝙫𝙞𝙣𝙜 𝙛𝙤𝙧 𝙖 𝙗𝙚𝙩𝙩𝙚𝙧 𝙛𝙪𝙩𝙪𝙧𝙚.”
She also thanked Secretary Gatchalian for fulfilling a long-awaited aspiration of thousands of Pantawid workers through employee regularization.
“𝙏𝙝𝙖𝙣𝙠 𝙮𝙤𝙪 𝙛𝙤𝙧 𝙢𝙖𝙠𝙞𝙣𝙜 𝙩𝙝𝙞𝙨 [𝙀𝙢𝙥𝙡𝙤𝙮𝙚𝙚 𝙧𝙚𝙜𝙪𝙡𝙖𝙧𝙞𝙯𝙖𝙩𝙞𝙤𝙣] 𝙡𝙤𝙣𝙜 𝙖𝙬𝙖𝙞𝙩𝙚𝙙 𝙙𝙧𝙚𝙖𝙢, 𝙖 𝙧𝙚𝙖𝙡𝙞𝙩𝙮.”
Representing the Provincial Operations Office was Rina Apuyan, Social Welfare Officer IV and Provincial Link of Albay, whose 18 years of service have allowed her to witness the transformation of the program from its earliest days.
Looking back, she recalled how the program evolved alongside its workforce and beneficiaries.
“𝙇𝙤𝙤𝙠𝙞𝙣𝙜 𝙗𝙖𝙘𝙠 𝙤𝙫𝙚𝙧 𝙩𝙝𝙞𝙨 18 𝙮𝙚𝙖𝙧𝙨, 𝙩𝙝𝙞𝙨 𝙟𝙤𝙪𝙧𝙣𝙚𝙮 𝙞𝙣 4𝙋𝙨 𝙝𝙖𝙨 𝙗𝙚𝙚𝙣 𝙙𝙚𝙛𝙞𝙣𝙚𝙙 𝙗𝙮 𝙙𝙚𝙙𝙞𝙘𝙖𝙩𝙞𝙤𝙣, 𝙘𝙤𝙢𝙢𝙞𝙩𝙢𝙚𝙣𝙩, 𝙧𝙚𝙡𝙚𝙣𝙩𝙡𝙚𝙨𝙨 𝙚𝙛𝙛𝙤𝙧𝙩 𝙖𝙣𝙙 𝙝𝙖𝙧𝙙𝙬𝙤𝙧𝙠, 𝙖𝙣𝙙 𝙨𝙝𝙖𝙧𝙚𝙙 𝙨𝙖𝙘𝙧𝙞𝙛𝙞𝙘𝙚𝙨.”
She also shared how she personally witnessed the steady improvements in the program.
“𝙄 𝙖𝙡𝙨𝙤 𝙨𝙖𝙬 𝙪𝙨 𝙩𝙧𝙖𝙣𝙨𝙞𝙩𝙞𝙤𝙣 𝙛𝙧𝙤𝙢 𝙩𝙝𝙚 𝙢𝙖𝙣𝙪𝙖𝙡 𝙥𝙖𝙮𝙤𝙪𝙩𝙨 𝙩𝙤 𝙣𝙤𝙬 𝙨𝙚𝙚𝙢𝙡𝙚𝙨𝙨 𝙙𝙞𝙜𝙞𝙩𝙖𝙡 𝙥𝙖𝙮𝙤𝙪𝙩𝙨.”
Recognizing the Department’s continuing efforts to strengthen the organization, she expressed appreciation for the establishment of plantilla positions that provide greater stability to long-serving employees.
“𝙒𝙚 𝙩𝙧𝙪𝙡𝙮 𝙖𝙥𝙥𝙧𝙚𝙘𝙞𝙖𝙩𝙚 𝙖𝙣𝙙 𝙨𝙪𝙥𝙥𝙤𝙧𝙩 𝙩𝙝𝙚 𝙚𝙛𝙛𝙤𝙧𝙩 𝙤𝙛 𝙩𝙝𝙚 𝙢𝙖𝙣𝙖𝙜𝙚𝙢𝙚𝙣𝙩 𝙞𝙣 𝙚𝙣𝙨𝙪𝙧𝙞𝙣𝙜 𝙩𝙝𝙖𝙩 𝙩𝙝𝙚 4𝙋𝙨 𝙬𝙤𝙧𝙠𝙛𝙤𝙧𝙘𝙚 𝙬𝙝𝙤 𝙝𝙖𝙫𝙚 𝙗𝙚𝙚𝙣 𝙙𝙚𝙙𝙞𝙘𝙖𝙩𝙚𝙙 𝙮𝙚𝙖𝙧𝙨 𝙤𝙛 𝙨𝙚𝙧𝙫𝙞𝙘𝙚 𝙞𝙣 𝙞𝙢𝙥𝙡𝙚𝙢𝙚𝙣𝙩𝙞𝙣𝙜 𝙩𝙝𝙚 𝙥𝙧𝙤𝙜𝙧𝙖𝙢—𝙗𝙚𝙚𝙣 𝙜𝙞𝙫𝙚𝙣 𝙩𝙝𝙚 𝙤𝙥𝙥𝙤𝙧𝙩𝙪𝙣𝙞𝙩𝙮 𝙛𝙤𝙧 𝙨𝙚𝙘𝙪𝙧𝙞𝙩𝙮 𝙤𝙛 𝙩𝙚𝙣𝙪𝙧𝙚 𝙖𝙣𝙙 𝙨𝙩𝙖𝙗𝙞𝙡𝙞𝙩𝙮.”
Representing the Municipal Operations Office was Anna Lisa Basco, Project Development Officer II and Municipal Link, who likewise dedicated 17 years to the Pantawid Pamilyang Pilipino Program.
“𝙃𝙞𝙣𝙙𝙞 𝙣𝙖𝙜𝙞𝙣𝙜 𝙢𝙖𝙙𝙖𝙡𝙞 𝙖𝙣𝙜 𝙥𝙖𝙜𝙡𝙖𝙡𝙖𝙠𝙗𝙖𝙮 𝙣𝙖 𝙞𝙩𝙤. 𝙈𝙖𝙮 𝙢𝙜𝙖 𝙥𝙖𝙣𝙖𝙝𝙤𝙣𝙜 𝙣𝙖𝙥𝙖𝙥𝙖𝙜𝙤𝙙, 𝙣𝙖𝙨𝙪𝙗𝙤𝙠, 𝙖𝙩 𝙩𝙞𝙡𝙖 𝙜𝙪𝙨𝙩𝙤 𝙢𝙤 𝙣𝙖𝙣𝙜 𝙨𝙪𝙢𝙪𝙠𝙤. 𝙉𝙜𝙪𝙣𝙞𝙩 𝙨𝙖 𝙗𝙖𝙬𝙖𝙩 𝙝𝙖𝙢𝙤𝙣, 𝙥𝙞𝙣𝙞𝙡𝙞 𝙠𝙤𝙣𝙜 𝙢𝙖𝙜𝙥𝙖𝙩𝙪𝙡𝙤𝙮 𝙙𝙖𝙝𝙞𝙡 𝙣𝙖𝙣𝙞𝙣𝙞𝙬𝙖𝙡𝙖 𝙖𝙠𝙤 𝙣𝙖 𝙖𝙣𝙜 𝙩𝙪𝙣𝙖𝙮 𝙣𝙖 𝙨𝙚𝙧𝙗𝙞𝙨𝙮𝙤 𝙥𝙪𝙗𝙡𝙞𝙠𝙤 𝙖𝙮 𝙝𝙞𝙣𝙙𝙞 𝙡𝙖𝙢𝙖𝙣𝙜 𝙩𝙧𝙖𝙗𝙖𝙝𝙤, 𝙞𝙩𝙤 𝙖𝙮 𝙞𝙨𝙖𝙣𝙜 𝙗𝙤𝙠𝙖𝙨𝙮𝙤𝙣 𝙖𝙩 𝙞𝙨𝙖𝙣𝙜 𝙢𝙞𝙨𝙮𝙤𝙣.”
As she looked back on nearly two decades of service, she reminded everyone that genuine public service leaves its mark not through titles, but through transformed lives.
“𝙎𝙖 𝙝𝙪𝙡𝙞, 𝙖𝙣𝙜 𝙩𝙪𝙣𝙖𝙮 𝙣𝙖 𝙡𝙚𝙜𝙖𝙘𝙮 𝙣𝙜 𝙞𝙨𝙖𝙣𝙜 𝙡𝙞𝙣𝙜𝙠𝙤𝙙 𝙗𝙖𝙮𝙖𝙣 𝙖𝙮 𝙝𝙞𝙣𝙙𝙞 𝙖𝙣𝙜 𝙥𝙤𝙨𝙞𝙨𝙮𝙤𝙣 𝙣𝙖 𝙠𝙖𝙣𝙞𝙮𝙖𝙣𝙜 𝙝𝙞𝙣𝙖𝙝𝙖𝙬𝙖𝙠𝙖𝙣 𝙠𝙪𝙣𝙙𝙞 𝙖𝙣𝙜 𝙢𝙜𝙖 𝙗𝙪𝙝𝙖𝙮 𝙣𝙖 𝙠𝙖𝙣𝙞𝙮𝙖𝙣𝙜 𝙣𝙖𝙗𝙞𝙜𝙮𝙖𝙣 𝙣𝙜 𝙥𝙖𝙜-𝙖𝙨𝙖.”
She concluded with a message that resonated with everyone celebrating the milestone.
“18 𝙮𝙚𝙖𝙧𝙨. 𝙄𝙨𝙖𝙣𝙜 𝙢𝙞𝙨𝙮𝙤𝙣. 𝙄𝙨𝙖𝙣𝙜 𝙥𝙪𝙨𝙤. 𝙋𝙖𝙩𝙪𝙡𝙤𝙮 𝙣𝙖 𝙢𝙖𝙜𝙡𝙞𝙡𝙞𝙣𝙜𝙠𝙤𝙙 𝙥𝙖𝙧𝙖 𝙨𝙖 𝙥𝙖𝙢𝙞𝙡𝙮𝙖𝙣𝙜 𝙥𝙞𝙡𝙞𝙥𝙞𝙣𝙤.”
The celebration concluded with a ceremonial toast, symbolizing not only eighteen years of accomplishments but also a renewed commitment to continue bringing hope to Filipino families.
More than an anniversary, the gathering became a celebration of people, the individuals who quietly travel long roads, patiently listen to families, faithfully accomplish reports, and remain steadfast in the belief that every child who stays in school, every parent who dreams bigger, and every family that rises from poverty is worth every challenge they have faced.
Eighteen years after its foundation, the Pantawid Pamilyang Pilipino Program continues to shine not only because of the lives it has transformed, but because of the public servants who continue to carry its light, one family, one community, and one act of service at a time.