LEGAZPI CITY – The Department of Social Welfare and Development in Bicol (DSWD-5) has started to validate more than 105,000 families that are potential beneficiaries of the government's Pantawid Pamilyang Pilipino Program (4Ps).
In an interview on Monday, Mabelle Marco, DSWD-5 information officer for 4Ps, said the validation will be conducted until March 3.
"The validation is being conducted to ensure that the eligible poor households will be included as beneficiaries. The potential households will go through a thorough validation and assessment through community assemblies and house-to-house validations," Marco said.
She added that a list of poor households is posted in barangay halls and native or tribal communities so that the public can help verify if the listed names are qualified.
"There are also grievance desks for complaints if they think and see names of potential 4Ps beneficiaries listed that are not qualified. These new potential beneficiaries are the ones who will substitute with the former members who already graduated," Marco noted.
Among the requirements that 4Ps applicants must bring for validation and registration are marriage certificate, birth certificate, baptismal certificate, school Form 137 and residence certificate.
Marco said 4Ps grantees are required to attend a monthly Family Development Session (FDS) where they are informed about the program, self-awareness, being a responsible parent, how to be active in the community, disaster preparedness and other topics relevant to their needs.
"They are also guided through 4Ps Kilos Unlad Social Case Management where the beneficiary is assisted in the practice of solving family problems, relationships, lifestyle, and others. Every year, the program conducts social welfare development initiatives (SWDI) to assess the level of the well-being of the beneficiaries," she said.
Marco said those who graduate from the program are a testament to the success of the program because they have been lifted out of poverty.
However, there are 4Ps beneficiaries that are removed from the list because of the following reasons: not following the conditions of the program, continually proven to be drunkards or gamblers, illegal drug users, or those who mortgage their ATM cash cards, among others.
Marco said as of the November 2022 data, there are 370,180 Bicolano families that are 4Ps beneficiaries. (PNA)
