DSWD monitoring 12 'credit-grabbing' pols in Visayas

MANILA, Philipppines - Twelve politicians are being monitored by the regional social welfare office in Western Visayas for taking credit for the Department of Social Welfare and Development's (DSWD) pro-poor programs.

Beverly Salazar, monitoring and evaluation officer of DSWD-6, said that beneficiaries of the government's Pantawid Pamilya program reported the credit-grabbing politicians.

Salazar said the reports came from beneficiaries in the provinces of Iloilo, Aklan, Capiz, Negros Occidental and Guimaras.

The social welfare officer, however, declined to reveal the names of the politicians. She said it may bungle their monitoring efforts on the erring politicians.

Salazar said that the regional DSWD office already has original copies of letters from the 12 politicians, where they are claiming that the Pantawid Pamilya program will not be implemented in their areas without their initiatives.

“This is really a big no. Politicians are not allowed to claim credit for the program, even during the cash distribution so that they will not use the activity for their politicking,” she said.

Salazar said that a documentation report on the monitoring of the 12 politicians will be sent to the DSWD's main office in Manila, which will send the report to the Commission on Elections and the Department of Interior and Local Government.