House minority seeks probe of DSWD's purging of 4Ps list

The House minority bloc in the House of Representatives is seeking an investigation into the Department of Social Welfare and Development's (DSWD) plan to delist some 1.3 million families from the Pantawid Pamilyang Pilipino Program (4Ps).

Party-list Representatives Jonathan Abalos of 4Ps, Arlene Brosas of Gabriela, Wilbert Lee of Agri and Marissa del Mar of OFW filed House Resolution No. 200 urging the committee on social services and committee on poverty alleviation to conduct an inquiry on the DSWD action.

"It is incredulous to accept the claim that more families have crossed the poverty line and are considered non-poor, especially with the nonstop price hikes, depressed wages, and massive joblessness," the lawmakers said.

"The number of families who felt poor during the second quarter of 2022 reached 12.2 million from 10.9 million during the first quarter of the year. This translates to additional 1.3 million poor families, coincidentally the same figure that the DSWD wants to be delisted from 4Ps," they added.

The 4Ps is a flagship program of the government that grants conditional cash assistance to the poorest families.

Abalos, in a press conference, also cited information that around 600,000 families graduated from the Pantawid program for a period of three years , a timeframe which is way longer than DSWD's plan.

"How can 1.3 million be delisted in just three month's time?" he said.

Abalos also said  that his group's research also revealed that 516,000 of the 1.3 million households up for delisting are undergoing grievance evaluation while only 773,000 have graduated form the poverty threshold.

"We are seeking oversight [inquiry] because we want to be enlightened," he said.

Brosas agreed, saying that the Pantawid program threshold of P12,082 monthly household income should be changed, especially when the restrictions due to the COVID-19 pandemic have resulted in massive job losses.

"This 'instawid' or instant tawid scheme is highly questionable and must be investigated," Brosas added.

Brosas said the DSWD should make public its plans on the P15 billion budget that would be generated from delisting 1.3 million households as Pantawid beneficiaries.

"We in Gabriela party-list have always put forward our critique of the limitations of 4Ps as a failed poverty alleviation program. But in times of dire crisis, such programs can serve as a lifeline to struggling Filipinos. Kaya malaking usapin ang pagbawas sa bilang ng benepisyaryo nito," Brosas added.

GMA News Online has reached out to DSWD for comment but the agency has yet to reply as of posting time.—LDF, GMA News