Palace to look into DSWD’s P10-M anti-epal campaign

MANILA, Philippines - Malacañang said yesterday that it would look into the reported plan of the Department of Social Welfare and Development (DSWD) to use more than P10 million for its “anti-Epal” campaign.

Bayan Muna party-list Rep. Teddy Casiño questioned the plan, saying the money would be better spent for the victims of last month’s typhoons, “Pablo” and “Quinta.”

Deputy presidential spokesperson Abigail Valte said over radio dzRB that they would ask Social Welfare Secretary Corazon Soliman for more information because “what we want to see is if the reported 10.3 million is accurate and whether what that amount, if accurate, is truly allocated for.”

Casiño said the campaign was not within the mandate of the DSWD and that the funds for the conditional cash transfer program might be unnecessarily tapped.

“Well, we’ll have to ask because the so-called ‘anti-Epal’ campaign is not very clear. So I’ll have to get more details from DSWD,” he said.

Based on reports, Soliman defended the shame campaign as part of the agency’s initiatives toward transparency and insulate its flagship program, Pantawid Pamilyang Pilipino Program (4Ps) from politicking.

Casiño took note of a Dec. 31 invitation to bid by the DSWD that appeared in local newspapers for the “hiring of service provider for the newspaper publications, and the production and airing of TV and radio commercials for the ‘Bawal ang Epal Dito’ campaign of the 4Ps.”

Epal, or short for Tagalog word papel or role, is the derogatory term for attention grabbing, particularly by politicians who plaster pictures of themselves on everything from project billboards to disaster relief goods.

The lawmaker said the DSWD’s mission was to “develop, implement and coordinate social protection and poverty reduction solutions for and with the poor, vulnerable and disadvantaged.”