Wednesday, October 16, 2013

Efforts to shield anti-poverty program from politicking underway

DAVAO CITY- A multi-agency effort is underway to shield the Pantawid Pamilya Pilipino Program (4Ps) from political partisanship during the coming Barangay Elections this October 28 is underway.

A Joint Memorandum Circular 2013-001 between the DSWD, Commission of Elections and Department of Interior and Local Government (DILG) outline the guidelines of the Bawal ang Epal dito campaign.

The DSWD, being the implementer of the 4Ps is tasked mainly to conduct IEC (Information Education Campaign) to beneficiaries and the public that the 4Ps is a program of the national government and that only the DSWD Regional and National offices can add or remove beneficiaries on the list based on the beneficiaries’ compliance.

That in no way local officials particularly barangay officials can manipulate the inclusion or exclusion of beneficiaries from the 4Ps list, the campaign aims  to inform the minds of the public that the local officials has no power to use the program according to their own vested interests.

Department of Social Welfare and Development-XI (DSWD-XI) regional director Priscilla Razon, she received reports that some barangay officials in Davao del Norte have threatened beneficiaries of possible exclusion to the 4Ps program.

Razon said that local officials particularly barangay officials has no hand in the system of choosing the beneficiaries as they are picked using a scientific process which is the National Housing Targeting System.

For the region there are at least 192,374 beneficiaries with a fund exposure of P2.3 billion for 2013.

To bolster the anti-epal campaign the cash transfer for 4Ps beneficiaries will be held before the start of the campaign period (Oct. 17) to prevent politicians from exploiting the cash transfers as campaign platforms.

Aside from the DSWD, the DILG and Comelec will help in the IEC campaign and contribute to the inter-agency grievance mechanism which will address the complaints related to the use of 4Ps in political partisan activities. These agencies can also conduct monitor and report cases of violations and conduct fact-finding or preliminary investigations.

Pantawid Pamilyang Pilipino Program (4Ps) is a rights-based national program that focuses on human capital investment through the provision of health and education cash grants to poor households identified by the National Housing Targeting System. (PIA/RG Alama)

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