BUILDING AN INTEGRATED AND DEPOLITICIZED SOCIAL PROTECTION SYSTEM IN THE PHILIPPINES
October 2025
The Philippines’ social protection system is fragmented, duplicative, and highly vulnerable to political capture. Multiple cash assistance and subsidy programs operate in parallel, often covering similar risks but through different implementing agencies. Programs such as TUPAD, MAIFIP, and AICS duplicate the mandates of PhilHealth, SSS, and education-related support schemes, while remaining politically mediated in targeting and distribution.
This paper argues that reforms should anchor on three mutually reinforcing pillars:
- PhilSys as the national identity backbone to eliminate duplication and fraud.
- Universal financial access through bank accounts and e-wallets to enable direct transfers.
- Phased integration of social registries through agency-based systems and LGU-level pilots under the Community-Based Monitoring System (CBMS).
By progressively building capacity, ensuring interoperability, and strengthening oversight from regulatory institutions, the Philippines can move toward a modernized and depoliticized social protection system that is efficient, transparent, and responsive to both chronic vulnerabilities and crisis shocks.
Justin Muyot is a Senior Lecturer at the University of the Philippines National College of Public Administration and Governance, and a member and trustee of INCITEGov.