Protecting the Poor and Vulnerable against the Pandemic

To mitigate the adverse effects of the pandemic on the poor and vulnerable people across the archipelago, the Government of the Philippines implemented an ambitious program of delivering cash assistance to 18 million households over a period of 9 months. The government achieved its performance priorities by promptly addressing implementation challenges that included huge program scope, different databases for identifying beneficiaries, health and security risks to implementors, mobility restrictions, communication and coordination constraints, and heightened administrative burden stemming from monitoring, reporting, and audit requirements on fund disbursements. Program implementation experiences highlighted the critical importance of legal mandate, beneficiary targeting system, institutional coordination, monitoring and feedback, and cooperation and partnerships.