Manila: The Philippine government will receive in four years fresh loan of $400 million (P19 billion, Dh1.58 billion) from the Manila-based Asian Development Bank (ADB) to increase a conditional cash transfer (CC) program for 4.4 million poor Filipino families who are given money as long as they send their children to state schools and enrol them in health clinics for regular check-ups and vaccinations.

“The loan will help the government expand the beneficiaries of the CCT programme, which amounts to P800 (Dh66.66) per child per month who is enrolled in a primary school,” said a social worker, adding the project has helped reduce poverty in the Philippines.

It is locally called Pantawid Pamilyang Pilipino (or bridge assistance for Filipino families).

“The Philippine government’s incentive fund will now include high-school students as beneficiaries, said Karin Schelzig, Senior Social Sector Specialist in ADB’s Southeast Asia Department.

The Philippines is now the fourth-largest CCT programmes worldwide after India, Brazil and Mexico, said Schelzig, adding the CCT loan, which will be up to 2019, is one of ADB’s efforts to increase inclusive growth in the Asia and Pacific region.

In 2010, ADB approved an initial $400 million (P19 billion or Dh1.58 billion) loan to the Philippines government’s CCT programme with 637,000 household beneficiaries.

In 2008, the Philippines government initiated its CCT programme with 340,000 beneficiaries, assistance of which was organised by the World Bank.

In its national budget, the Philippines government has increased its budget for the programme for 2016.

More than 93 per cent of poor Filipino household beneficiaries are compliant with the conditions imposed on them to receive money — such as send children to schools and health clinics. It is above the 80 per cent compliance target of other countries that are involved in a similar programme, studies showed.

CCT programmes began worldwide in the 1990s and have spread to 28 countries: one in East Africa; two in West Africa; one in North Africa; one in South Africa; one in North Africa; one in the Caribbean Region; six in Central America; seven in South America; two in the Middle East; three in South Asia; and three in Southeast Asia.

In 2007, Mayor of New York City Michael Bloomberg announced an experimental CCT programme called Opportunity NYC, (the first ever in a developed country) which was funded by private non-government organisations. The programme, which ended in 2010, is undergoing evaluation.