Public warned vs fake DSWD employees

MANILA, Philippines -  The Department of Social Welfare and Development has warned the public against individuals posing as DSWD employees and asking money from those who want to be included in the government’s conditional cash transfer (CCT) program.

DSWD Secretary Judy Taguiwalo said the agency does not solicit money from people who want to be included in the government’s poverty-alleviation program.

“The Pantawid Pamilyang Pilipino Program or 4Ps is not accepting new members because we are in the process of addressing irregularities concerning its implementation and determine the true economic status of its members,” Taguiwalo said.

“One of the core values of the DSWD that we strictly enforce is ‘service free from corruption.’ This is the reason why we encourage the public to report their complaints to us or to the hotline 8888,” she said.

Taguiwalo made the warning following reports from DSWD-Central Visayas that a woman posed as an employee of the agency and demanded money from residents in exchange for their inclusion in the CCT.

DSWD-Central Visayas director Ma. Evelyn Macapobre said the woman took advantage of the Listahanan On-Demand Application assessment for families who were not assessed during the second round of household evaluation in 2015.