COA: More than P1.4B worth unwithdrawn 4Ps benefits

The Commission on Audit (COA) reported that the  Department of Social Welfare and Development (DSWD) has up to P1.4 billion worth of unwithdrawn budget allocated for the Pantawid Pamilyang Pilipino Program (4Ps).

Based on the 2016 COA report, more than 2.6 million accounts of 4Ps' beneficiaries had balances ranging from P501 to P50,000, of which 87 percent were unwithdrawn from 30 to 2,190 days.

The report urged DSWD to "fast track, investigation/re-assessment of the eligibility of concerned beneficiaries and immediately delist ineligible beneficiaries."

The 4Ps is the government's key anti-poverty program which started during the administration of former President Gloria Macapagal-Arroyo.

The program grants financial assistance to its beneficiaries as long as members comply with certain conditions, including undergoing regular medical check-ups and sending children to school.

The COA report said the social welfare agency has to coordinate with Landbank of the Philippines (LBP) to recover the said amount for remittance to the Bureau of Treasury and ensure government funds are not wasted.

Auditors added that the result of the audit on DSWD's anti-poverty program showed that "some 4Ps' beneficiaries were not actually in need of financial assistance."

The COA report also stated that unclaimed cash grants from 2013 to 2016 worth P3.1 billion refunded by LBP from DSWD remain unremitted to the Bureau of Treasury.

The COA urged DSWD to immediately remit the amount to BTr and establish guidelines considering the period of claiming cash grants have already been forfeited.

"The financial management of funds intended for 4Ps' beneficiaries needs improvement to assess the actual funds available for the program," the state auditors said in their report. — BAP, GMA News