Davao City-The Department of Social Welfare and Development (DSWD) reiterates that no national or local officials have the capacity to delist Pantawid Pamilya beneficiaries from the program.

DSWD received reports that there are some political candidates who threaten beneficiaries of being delisted if they do not vote for them or the candidate they are endorsing.

“Beneficiaries will remain in the program based on their compliance to the conditionalities and DSWD shall ensure that beneficiaries are protected from undue politicking and must remain free of political influence and manipulation,” DSWD Regional Director Mercedita P. Jabagat said.

Identification of Pantawid beneficiaries was based solely from Listahanan, the Department’s information management system that identifies who and where the poor are through household assessment.

Beneficiaries can only be delisted if proven that they do not adhere to the conditionalities set by the program which include regular attendance of their children in school, attendance of parent-beneficiaries in the monthly Family Development Session, and regular check-up of mothers and children in health centers, Director Jabagat said.

DSWD encourages the general public to be more vigilant and to report politicians claiming credit from the program or such activities that aim to discredit the integrity of Pantawid Pamilya.

The public may file their complaints through the Grievance Text Hotline 0918-912-2813 or via social media (facebook/ twitter: Tanggapan ng Reklamo), or they can visit the nearest DSWD Regional Office or directly report to their Pantawid Municipal or City Link.

Pantawid Pamilya is a human development program of the national government that invests in the health and education of poor households primarily of children aged 0-18. To date there are 233,985 beneficiaries in Davao Region.  (DSWD)