The House Committee on Social Services approved measures on Monday to create the Pambansang Agapay sa Pamilya at Maliliit na Negosyo (PAMANA) Program, which would give qualified minimum wage households ₱12,000 a year through a digital wallet restricted to spending at accredited local micro, small, and medium enterprises.
House Bill 10648, principally authored by Reps. Jude Acidre, Ziaur-Rahman Adiong, Joel Chua, Jannette Garin, Jefferson Khonghun, Gerville Luistro, Francisco Paolo Ortega, Terry Ridon, Ramon Rodrigo Gutierrez, David Suarez, and Ysabel Maria Zamora, and House Bill 10735, principally authored by Reps. Ferdinand Martin Romualdez, Yedda Marie Romualdez, and Andrew Julian Romualdez, were both approved at the committee level.
The disbursement mechanism runs through a wallet linked to the Philippine Identification System (PhilSys), the infrastructure the government has used to expand digital cash transfers in recent years. Funds are released in equal monthly tranches of ₱1,000, with beneficiaries capped at ₱200 in spending per day. Unused funds carry over to the next day under the same daily limit.
Eligible households are those headed by a minimum wage earner registered with PhilSys and not currently receiving benefits under the Pantawid Pamilyang Pilipino Program (4Ps) or its successor. The measure also covers qualified public sector workers, self-employed individuals, and informal sector workers earning at or below the applicable minimum wage.
Funds cannot be converted to cash or transferred to another account. They cannot be used for online gambling, alcohol, tobacco, or other excluded goods and services. A dedicated PAMANA Trust Fund, maintained by the Bureau of the Treasury and administered by the Department of Social Welfare and Development, would finance the program.
Tingog party-list Rep. Jude Acidre, one of the principal authors of HB 10648, said the following in a statement to the committee:
“We should be clear that Pamana is not simply ayuda. The intention is not just to transfer money to a household and end the intervention there.”
On the restriction limiting where funds can be spent, Acidre said:
“What a family spends becomes income for a small business. That business, in turn, uses that income to replenish inventory, buy from suppliers, pay workers, and continue operating.”
Sari-sari stores, market vendors, eateries, and pharmacies are listed in the bill among the types of accredited MSMEs where the subsidy may be used.
HB 10648 and HB 10735 require approval by the full House of Representatives, reconciliation with any Senate counterpart bill, and the President’s signature before taking effect.
