Tulfo: Speed up delisting of 4Ps beneficiaries

MANILA, Philippines — The delisting of beneficiaries of the Pantawid Pamilyang Pilipino Program or 4Ps who are no longer considered poor should be expedited.

Social Welfare Secretary Erwin Tulfo issued the directive to the 4Ps National Program Management Office (NPMO), saying the ”graduation” process would make way for those who need to be covered by the program.

He said data from the National Household Targeting System for Poverty Reduction or Listahanan 3 launched on Aug. 1 provides the basis for the delisting of 4Ps household-beneficiaries who are no longer poor.

Aside from being assessed as poor, 4Ps household-beneficiaries should have children below 18  and willing to comply with the conditions set by the program.

“Dapat siguraduhin natin na ang ilalagay sa 4Ps ay talagang karapat-dapat na maging benepisyaryo ng 4Ps, prioritizing the solo parents, farmers, fisherfolk and persons with disabilities,” Tulfo said.

He said validation and delisting of beneficiaries should be finished by October.

The DSWD had earlier said 1.9 million beneficiaries would be delisted from the program.

Of the figure, 1.3 million have graduated from the program from being a “very poor” family to non-poor while the remaining 600,000 have violations on 4Ps conditions.

The DSWD conducted a four-day planning workshop last week to come up with the guidelines for the exit of non-poor household-beneficiaries as well as the ”seamless processing of replacements.”

Beneficiaries are entitled to receive cash assistance provided conditions are complied with.These are sending and keeping their school-aged children in school, pre- and post-natal care for mothers, regular and preventive checkups for children aged five and below, deworming for children aged 14 and below and attendance in monthly family development sessions.