THE government will be able to save P15 billion once the delisting by the Department of Social Welfare and Development (DSWD) of 1.3 million Pantawid Pamilyang Pilipino Program (4Ps) beneficiaries is finalized.
At the third Cabinet meeting of President Ferdinand “Bongbong” R. Marcos, Jr. last Tuesday, Social Welfare Secretary Erwin T. Tulfo reported the result of its ongoing reviewof the qualifications of its 4.4-million 4Ps recipients.
In a statement, Press Secretary Beatrix “Trixie” Cruz-Angeles said Tulfo disclosed that the beneficiaries are facing delisting since they are no longer considered “poor” and therefore not qualified to receive the P500 monthly Conditional Cash Transfer (CCT) received by 4Ps beneficiaries.
Only members of the poorest households, which are listed in the National Household Targeting System for Poverty Reduction (NHTS-PR), may qualify as 4Ps beneficiaries.
Once the delisting is finalized by DSWD, Angeles said the agency can accommodate new 4Ps beneficiaries.
“This frees up P15 billion for other qualified persons to replace them and now be included in the 4Ps program,” Angeles said.
DSWD initiated the cleansing of the list of 4Ps beneficiaries upon the instruction of Marcos.
Tulfo earlier said they will give the delisted beneficiaries 30 to 60 days to surrender their CCT accounts or face possible charges.
The government is currently trying to streamline its operations in its attempt to cut costs and improve the efficiency of its operations as it is faced with mounting expenses from its pandemic response.
Aside from the 4P beneficiaries, the Priority Programs and Projects for Basic Education of the Department of Education were also discussed in the third Cabinet meeting.
Marcos personally presided over the meeting at the Aguinaldo Hall in Malacañang Palace after completing his isolation period last week, having been reinfected with Covid-19.