DSWD: 93,600 households tagged as non-poor can be removed from 4Ps program

The Department of Social Welfare and Development (DSWD) on Tuesday said at least 93,600 of the 1.3 million households deemed "non-poor" by the agency can be removed from the Pantawid Pamilyang Pilipino Program (4Ps), the conditional cash transfer program for the poorest Filipinos.

At the public briefing on PTV, DSWD spokesperson Assistant Secretary Romel Lopez said that at least 22% of these 1.3 million households have already been validated as "non-poor."

“Yung atin pong nalalabi na mahigit one million po na mga benepisyaro pa under doon sa 1.3 million ay sumasalang sa field validation at sa ngayon po ay nasa 22% na po yung nava-validate at tinataya po natin 93,600 po dito yung pwede nating irecommenda na matanggal sa programa sapagkat sila ay non-poor na,” Lopez said.

(Over 1 million beneficiaries of the 1.3 million households are undergoing field validation and right now 22% have been validated and we are estimating that 93,600 of these are the ones we can recommend to be removed from the program because they are non-poor.)

“Sa ngayon po sa ating initial na mga datos na natatanggap, 187,000 na po yung natanggal sa programa natin o naka-graduate na. Mayroon din po tayong voluntary na nag waive or nag-exit sa programa nasa 24,000 na po yung ating mga kababayan na yan,” the DSWD official added.

(Based on our initial data, 187,000 have been removed from our program or have already graduated. We also have 24,000 volunteers who have waived or exited the program.)

“Ang kagandahan po nito, una, naging matagumpay po yung 4Ps program para sa kanila, sapagkat na-update natin yung kanilang estado sa pamumuhay. Hindi na po sila poor ngayon at ang tag po natin sa kanila ay non-poor na. At yun pong kanilang mababakanteng posisyon o membership ay maaring iallot sa mga kababayan natin na nasa waitlist para sa programang 4Ps,” he added.

(The good results of this program, first the 4Ps program was successful for them because we updated their state of living, they are no longer poor and we tag them as non-poor. And their vacated position or membership can be allocated to other fellow Filipinos who are on the waiting list for the 4Ps program.)

The 4Ps is an anti-poverty program that provides health, education as well as rice assistance in the form of cash to the poorest of the poor households monthly, depending on their compliance with conditions promoting human development goals such as keeping children in schools and attending family development sessions, among others.

The DSWD has allotted P115 billion for the 4Ps program under its proposed 2023 budget.

Under the 4Ps law, its beneficiaries can be delisted under the following grounds: the household's youngest child already finished senior high school; the household has been in the program for seven straight years; when a household commits offenses/violates conditions for the cash grant; voluntary exit on the part of the beneficiary; and DSWD deeming a household non-poor based on evaluation.

DSWD Secretary Erwin Tulfo earlier said that 1.3 million households are now categorized as “non-poor,” meaning they are no longer qualified to receive the cash assistance from the national government.

He added the status of about 600,000 more recipients are being looked at by DSWD. — BM, GMA News