(File photo)
MANILA – Department of Social Welfare and Development (DSWD) Assistant Secretary and spokesperson Romel Lopez on Thursday urged the electorate not to vote Barangay and Sangguniang Kabataan Elections (BSKE) candidates using the Pantawid Pamilyang Pilipino Program (4Ps) to woo voters.
“Hindi dapat magpa-uto ang mga botante sa mga kumakandidato sa barangay na iniaalok ang 4Ps [membership] kapalit ng kanilang boto (The voters should not be fooled by barangay candidates offering 4Ps membership in exchange of their votes),” Lopez said during the 1st DSWD media forum at the new press center in its central office in Quezon City.
The Catholic Bishops Conference of the Philippines (CBCP) earlier urged the DSWD to ensure that the 4Ps will not be used in the upcoming BSKE.
In the same forum, 4Ps national program manager Director Gemma Gabuya said the DSWD’s Human Capital Development (HCD) makes sure that children of poor families are given the best fighting chance to escape the vicious cycle of poverty through 4Ps.
She said the 4Ps has so far produced 175,885 household graduates, 10,637,365 elementary graduates, 2,632,086 high school graduates, 32,556 college graduates, 4,111 board exam passers including 40 topnotchers, and 11,054 who gained employment.
The Pantawid Pamilya’s National Advisory Council (NAC) has earlier approved Resolution No. 1 adopting the Social Welfare and Development Indicators (SWDI) as a tool in the exit procedure for the 4Ps household beneficiaries.
“So therefore, the NAC Reso 1 authorizes the use of SWDI as the basis for the exit of the household beneficiaries from the 4Ps. The result of their level of well-being shall further serve as a basis for the provision of helping interventions through the case management strategy of the program,” Gabuya said.
She said SWDI provides necessary data and information to determine the real status and condition of the beneficiaries.
“By analyzing these indicators, case managers gain insights into the households’ socio-economic context, allowing them together with the households to tailor interventions that address specific needs effectively,” she said. (PNA)
