187,000 families delisted from 4Ps – DSWD

MANILA, Philippines — The Department of Social Welfare and Development (DSWD) has delisted 187,000 families from the Pantawid Pamilyang Pilipino Program (4Ps).

DWSD spokesman Assistant Secretary Romel Lopez said the number includes families that had graduated as “non-poor,” those whose school-aged children had already graduated or have reached past 18 years and those who have voluntarily waived or gave up their slots as beneficiaries.

Lopez explained that the evaluation of the 4Ps National Program Management Office (NPMO) continues even as Social Welfare Secretary Erwin Tulfo has ordered to expedite the cleansing of the 4Ps list.

Tulfo, in his address at a workshop of the 4Ps NPMO recently, said the “graduation” of beneficiaries of the program who had broken out from extreme poverty should be done immediately to make way for those who need to be covered by the program.

He said the data from the National Household Targeting System for Poverty Reduction or the Listahanan nationwide assessment survey (Listahanan 3) launched last Aug. 1 provides them a basis for the delisting of 4Ps household-beneficiaries who are already non-poor.

Meanwhile, households assessed as poor in the Listahanan 3 are considered as potential household-beneficiaries of the 4Ps.

Aside from being assessed as poor, potential household-beneficiaries must have children below 18 or pregnant members at the time of the enumeration and they must be willing to comply with the conditions set forth by the program.

Tulfo directed the 4Ps NPMO to ensure that all municipal and city links will submit case folders of their assigned household-beneficiaries to check the status of their living conditions.

He said the validation and delisting of beneficiaries must be finished by October this year.

The DSWD has started the process through the four-day planning workshop held last week to craft the most efficient mechanisms and strategies of processing for graduation and eventual exit of non-poor household-beneficiaries.

The 4Ps is the national poverty reduction strategy of the national government. It invests in the health, nutrition and education of poor households for an improved well-being.