The Department of Social Welfare and Development (DSWD) today clarified that it did not authorize the distribution of registration forms  to recruit beneficiaries of the Pantawid Pamilyang Pilipino Program during the election season.

The clarification came after the Department received reports on the incident that it ordered the distribution of registration papers for Pantawid Pamilya showing the logos of the Liberal Party and the DSWD’s National Household Targeting System for Poverty Reduction (NHTS-PR).

The DSWD did not conduct  any community assembly to recruit new beneficiaries for the program anywhere else in the country during the election campaign period and that no cash payouts were even held after March 29, 2013.

Secretary Soliman  explained that the identification of qualified beneficiaries for Pantawid Pamilya is generated solely through the NHTS-PR and payouts are only done through the schedules and modes approved by the DSWD. The NHTS-PR is an information management system that identifies who and where the poor are nationwide. It is done through a survey that estimates the incomes of households based on several verifiable variables such as  household composition, education of household members, housing conditions, and access to basic services.

The Secretary appealed to the public to provide information on incidents that used the Pantawid Pamilya during the election period for investigation. She added that those found to have used the program to further their political interests will be held accountable.

The DSWD protected the integrity of the Pantawid Pamilya and its other anti-poverty programs  during the election period through its “Bawal ang Epal Dito” Campaign.  The Bawal ang Epal Dito campaign aims to protect the families from baseless threats of removal from the program if they will not support a particular candidate during the elections. ###