FOR some, the number 13 is a most unlucky number. But when it comes to cash transfers, it seems 13 is a winner, especially for recipients.

Thirteen years ago, then Socioeconomic Planning Secretary Felipe M. Medalla floated the idea of giving cash to both rural and urban poor to bring about pro-poor growth. Medalla urged the Arroyo administration to adopt Brazil’s Bolsa Familia  program, which provides up to 95 reais (about $44 that time) a month to families who can keep their children in school and take them to clinics for health check-ups.