TACLOBAN CITY: The Department of Social Welfare and Development (DSWD) has strengthened ties with Landbank of the Philippines (LandBank) Eastern Visayas Branches Group to fast track the distribution of cash assistance to poor families in the region. According to Philippines News Agency, DSWD Eastern Visayas information officer Joshua Kempis stated in a phone interview that DSWD and LandBank officials met on November 12 to ensure that cash grants for recipients of the Pantawid Pamilyang Pilipino Program (4Ps) are distributed on time and efficiently. Kempis emphasized the importance of the timely delivery of cash grants, highlighting its role in improving the well-being of 4Ps beneficiaries in the Eastern Visayas region. The region is served by 19 branches of the state-run LandBank, which acts as the primary distribution arm for the government's social protection programs. These branches have been distributing cash aids to 267,425 eligible 4Ps households in the region. The 4Ps program, initiated by the gover nment in 2008, serves as a human development measure providing conditional cash grants to the poorest households to improve health, nutrition, and education for children aged 0-18 years. Under the program, each household can receive monthly health and educational grants for up to three children, with amounts set at PHP750 for health, and PHP300 and PHP500 for elementary and high school education, respectively. The assistance is provided through cash cards. In 2019, the government institutionalized the 4Ps program through Republic Act 11310, establishing it as a national poverty reduction strategy and human capital investment initiative. The program offers cash aid to poor households for a maximum period of seven years.