THE Department of Social Welfare and Development-Davao Region (DSWD-Davao) has delisted 16 beneficiaries of the Pantawid Pamilyang Pilipino Program (4Ps) this year for pawning their ATM cards, and some using the cash assistance for gambling.
John Ruzcel Sampiano, DSWD-Davao Regional Grievance Officers 4Ps, said in a virtual presser on Friday, June 10, that the delisted beneficiaries were given two consecutive warnings, and yet they committed the same violation for the third time.
He said that the third sanction will be the last, and that it would be an automatic removal from the 4Ps program.
"That is non-appealable, if ever matanggal sila (they would be removed) [due to] cash card pawning... they are delisted due to misbehavior," Sampiano said during the Kapehan sa PIA press conference.
In addition, 478 beneficiaries received their first sanction, while 30 were issued sanctions for the second time.
The official said that DSWD is serious in implementing the program, which is a government funded conditional cash transfer program that aims to reduce poverty by providing grants to extremely poor households to improve their health, nutrition and education particularly of children aged 0-14. In April 2019, President Rodrigo Duterte signed a law institutionalizing the 4Ps cash transfer program.
Being a 4Ps member, he said, is a privilege which can be revoked to them anytime.
Sampiano bared that emergency is the top most reason why beneficiaries pawn their ATM cards to loan sharks.
"Amo gyud gina-emphasize na dili option si cash card pawning (We emphasized that cash card pawning is not an option)," he said.
To address the problem, DSWD is set to coordinate with the Department of Interior and Local Government (DILG), and the local government unit for possible sanctions in this trade through a memorandum of understanding.
For beneficiaries who use their 4Ps ATM or utilize their cash for gambling purposes, particularly e-sabong (online cockfighting), he said they are strictly monitoring them considering that utilizing the cash assistance for gambling and vices is also strictly prohibited from the program.
He encouraged those who have information of erring 4Ps beneficiaries to report it to them for appropriate actions.
Margie Cabido, DSWD-Davao Division Chief of the 4Ps, said that 4Ps beneficiaries must keep their integrity as benefactors by using the money for essential purposes.
"As 4Ps beneficiaries, naa silay (they have the) responsibility to keep their integrity as 4Ps beneficiaries because they are already trusted sa government to be part of the social protection program, and naa sila responsibility nga maging model sa community ug sa mga (they also have the responsibility to be model of the community and) non-4Ps beneficiaries," Cabido said.
To help in the monitoring, she said some of their personnel and the local government, through the barangays, conducting a regular and unannounced cash card monitoring.
She said if the beneficiaries would fail to present their cash card during the inspection, it would already be an automatic sanction.
As of May 30, 2022, DSWD-Davao has a total of 275,425 active 4Ps household beneficiaries, composed of 1,503,191 individual beneficiaries. Majority of them are from Davao de Oro. RGL
