THE Department of Social Welfare and Development (DSWD) in Western Visayas is strengthening its measures against individuals who are targeting conditional cash transfer program beneficiaries.
Sharon Tusalem, head of DSWD-Western Visayas extension office in Negros Occidental, said Friday, they will investigate the reports about a man who posed as a social worker to victimize Pantawid Pamilyang Pilipino Program (4Ps) beneficiaries.
On November 10, Bethoven Badian of Bago City was arrested by the police at Barangay Bubog in Talisay City after he pretended to be a DSWD employee.
He took the automated teller machine (ATM) cards of 4Ps beneficiaries and withdrew their money.
This prompted the victims to seek the assistance of the police which led to the arrest of the suspect, who also yielded a .45 caliber loaded with magazine and eight live ammunition.
There were also reports that the suspect pretended to be an employee of utility firm Central Negros Electric Cooperative and an engineer of the Department of Public Works and Highways.
The suspect is now detained at the local police station.
To avoid the same incident, the DSWD is intensifying measures through the family development sessions, which include teaching the beneficiaries the indicators on how to spot the individuals who may take advantage of them, Tusalem said.
She added that they will also intensify their grievance mechanism to teach families to report right away anomalies or abuses.
Tusalem asked the public and their partners to help the agency to “pin down” these individuals who are targeting the 4Ps beneficiaries.
At present, there are 126,000 households in Negros Occidental who are benefiting from the government’s conditional cash transfer program.
The 4Ps provides conditional cash grants to the poorest of the poor, to improve the health, nutrition, and the education of the children in every household.