100,000 4Ps recipients in Bicol face delisting

LEGAZPI CITY, Philippines — At least 100,000 recipients of the government’s Pantawid Pamilyang Pilipino Program or 4Ps across Bicol region could be delisted to accommodate newly qualified recipients, the regional office of the Department of Social Welfare and Development (DSWD) said over the weekend.

Earlier, DSWD Secretary Erwin Tulfo reported that an estimated 1.3 million 4Ps beneficiaries across the country have been evaluated as no longer “very poor.”

Priscilla Saladaga, DSWD-Bicol coordinator, said that at present, the region has the most number of 4Ps beneficiaries with more than 390,000.

The delisting of beneficiaries is implemented every three years to give way to new recipients who were evaluated and assessed by DSWD’s Listahanan Program, Saladaga said.

She said that since 2018, at least 67,000 4Ps beneficiaries in Bicol have been delisted and replaced by newly qualified recipients.

Among the reasons for delisting are the improved living conditions of a recipient family, beneficiary children have turned 18 years old, pawning of cash cards and using the cash assistance for drinking and gambling.

Violation of the conditions of the cash assistance program, such as children of recipient-families quitting school without valid reasons, is also among the grounds for delisting from the 4Ps program.

Under the cash assistance program, a family with three beneficiaries receives P750 and P600 in health and rice subsidies, respectively, per month.

A child in elementary school receives P300 assistance per month, P500 for junior high school and P750 for senior high school students.

A maximum of three children per family-beneficiary can be given the cash assistance.

Recently, 4Ps beneficiaries were granted an additional P500 per month.