Butuan city: More than a thousand households in Butuan City have officially graduated from the government’s flagship anti-poverty initiative, the Pantawid Pamilyang Pilipino Program (4Ps), after achieving self-sufficiency in their living conditions. The Department of Social Welfare and Development in the Caraga Region (DSWD-13) said 1,129 partner-beneficiaries were recognized during the “Katumanan 2025” graduation and exit ceremony in Butuan City on Monday.

According to Philippines News Agency, ‘Katumanan,’ a Cebuano word meaning fulfillment, reflects the program’s goal of breaking the intergenerational cycle of poverty. DSWD-13 said the households reached the well-being status of self-sufficiency, as determined by the Social Welfare and Development Indicator assessment. Graduates are assured of continued support from the DSWD should they need help in the future.

Among those who welcomed the graduates was Dominica Penpina, a solo parent of three and a Huwaran Pantawid Pamilya (Model Pantawid Family) awardee. Penpina credited the program for supporting her children’s education. Her eldest graduated magna cum laude from Caraga State University in 2019. ‘The success of 4Ps can be seen from the achievements of households and partner-beneficiaries,’ Penpina said.

Butuan City Mayor Lawrence Fortun lauded the graduates, highlighting the program’s core values of opportunity, self-belief, and self-help. ‘The opportunity is given by the DSWD, and it’s up to us how to utilize it,’ Fortun said. ‘We must believe in ourselves and help ourselves. The 4Ps graduates are the best examples of this.’