QUEZON CITY, March 28, (PIA) - - The Department of Social Welfare and Development (DSWD) will be conducting “Kamustahan” nationwide.
DSWD Secretary Judy M. Taguiwalo explained that in “Kamustahan”, all units of the DSWD will implement an on-the-spot validation measure to address various issues affecting the delivery of services to the beneficiaries of the Pantawid Pamilya Pilipino Program. It also aims to address cash card pawning issues and discipline beneficiaries found guilty.
During the conduct of “Kamustahan”, Pantawid city links (case managers) and Grievance Officers assigned to particular areas visit Pantawid beneficiaries to inquire problems besetting them as well as validate reports on cash card pawning by spot checking if their cash card are still with them. Pantawid beneficiaries found guilty will be reprimanded. Refresher course on the program guidelines with focus on sanctions when beneficiaries violate the conditionalities of the program will also be given.
DSWD-NCR started the on the spot validation dubbed “Katok cash card” in the latter part of 2016 in response to many reports of beneficiaries pawning the cash card issued to them. This was again conducted recently in the cities of Caloocan and Valenzuela where some 61 Pantawid households were validated and 15 were found guilty.
“We have been conducting the Kamustahan since the beginning of 2017 to determine the status of the beneficiaries of the Pantawid Program. This offshoot strategy Kamustahan Cash Card will focus on the issue on cash card pawning because we want to arrest the increasing number of incidents of the same,” Taguiwalo said.
The Secretary added, “The Pantawid Pamilyang Pilipino Program, as a social protection program, mainly invests in the health and education of poor Filipino children and their families. We intend for the cash grants provided to beneficiaries to be used for these purposes. We understand the extent of the poverty of many Filipinos even among those who are members of the Pantawid program, and it’s easy to determine the reasons why some of them would pawn their cash cards. But, when they pawn the cards, they run the risk of having their benefits suspended or delisted,” emphasized Sec. Taguiwalo.
As of February 2017, some 243,420 households have been delisted nationwide. In NCR, as of March 10, a total of 7,798 households have been delisted.
Delisting is done through a grievance process. If the reason is due to misbehavior of beneficiaries (pawning of cash cards, misuse of grants) and repeated noncompliance in all conditionalities, progressive disciplining is taken until the fourth offense. Thereafter, the household is removed.
“We would like to state that we do not tolerate misbehavior from our Pantawid beneficiaries.The Department is doing the best to help our beneficiaries understand the repercussions. There are so many impoverished Filipinos who want to be members of the Pantawid Program but did not get enlisted. We hope that those who are members will maximize the benefits of the programs and not risk losing their membership.”
At present, a total of 196,104 households out of the 227,373 Pantawid Pamilya households in Metro Manila are receiving their cash grants through their cash cards while the remaining households are still processing their cash card enrollment.
Some 4,301,858 Pantawid-Pamilya household beneficiaries will also be receiving P600 rice subsidy in their March pay-out on top of health & education cash grants. Total funds disbursed this March pay-out for rice subsidy is P2,581,114,800.
“The Department’s public service is anchored on and guided by the principle of “serbisyong may malasakit at walang puwang sa katiwalian at pantay na ibinibigay ito sa tunay na mga nangangailangan,” Secretary Taguiwalo ended. (DSWD/RJB/LFB/PIA-NCR)
0 Comments