AN OFFICIAL of the Department of Social Welfare and Development (DSWD) 7 urged beneficiaries of the Pantawid Pamilyang Pilipino Program (4Ps) to choose the candidates they deem worthy of their votes in the midterm elections on May 13.

“They are encouraged to exercise their right to vote and protect its secrecy and sanctity as the future of the community and the nation depends on this,” DSWD 7 Director Rebecca Geamala said.

She said the 4Ps beneficiaries should not feel indebted to any candidate as DSWD 7 is the official handler of the program.

“We would also like to clarify that DSWD programs and services are not directly or indirectly coursed through local officials or their offices,” Geamala said.

The campaign of DSWD 7 regarding the elections has continued through its monthly Family Development Session.

Geamala said the beneficiaries should not believe politicians who threatened to erase them from the list of 4Ps if they will not vote for them.

“Again, it is only the DSWD that can recommend additional beneficiaries to the program based on the ‘Listahanan’ database, and as of now we do not have an expansion of the program. There are no additional 4Ps beneficiaries since the moratorium issued in 2016 has not been lifted yet. And a 4Ps household can only be removed from the program if it does not comply with the program conditions or does not have children eligible for monitoring,” she said.

The 4Ps is a national government’s human development program that invests in the health and education of poor households, particularly of children up to 18 years old. The program provides cash grants to beneficiaries as long as they comply with a set of health and education conditions. (From HBL of SuperBalita Cebu, KAL)