Party-list says name is ‘completely different’ from DSWD '4Ps' program
MANILA, Philippines — Pagtibayin at Palaguin ang Pangkabuhayang Pilipino Party-list (4Ps) stressed Thursday that it has complied with Commission on Elections rules and regulations for party-list registration as it brushed off similarities with a long-running social welfare program for poor Filipinos.
The party-list made the clarification in a printed letter that was sent to The STAR. Philstar.com sent 4Ps two emails seeking comment on the issue but received no response.
The partylist said it is unfortunate that it is being linked to the government program as it is "very obvious" that its name is "completely and downright different" from the "Pantawid Pamilyang Pilipino Program" conditional cash transfer program that the Department of Social Welfare and Development launched during the Arroyo administration.
"The DSWD does not have the exclusive and absolute legal and/or proprietary title, ownership, and right to use the acronym ‘4Ps,’ to the exclusion of all others," the party-list also argued, adding that "4Ps" is also used in other fields such as marketing and research.
The party-list mentioned that there are other party-lists with the same dilemma: the Barangay Health Wellness Party or BHW, One Filipinos Worldwide Coalition Party-list or OFW, Puwersa ng Bayaning Atleta or PBA, among others.
This clarification comes over a week after an election watchdog backed the DSWD’s call to nullify its registration with the Securities and Exchange Commission. DSWD lawyer Paul Tacorda told the ABS-CBN two weeks ago that it had reached out to the SEC regarding its complaint.
Philstar.com reached out to the party-list twice on March 29 through the email address posted on its official Facebook page. No response was received from two emails sent at 12:12 p.m. and 2:05 p.m.
Under the Revised Corporation Code the responsibility for party-list registrations falls on the Comelec and not the SEC.
DSWD spokesperson Irene Dumlao told Philstar.com on March 30 when asked for an update on the complaint that the department is waiting for a definitive opinion from the SEC.
Election watchdog Partylist Watch, in a March 29 statement, said that the party-list’s name reflects that they want to capture the votes of 4Ps beneficiaries.
The DSWD began its 4Ps program in 2007 and now has over four million beneficiaries. It is meant to provide families and children grants to cover their healthcare, nutrition, and education. The government is allocating P107.67 billion of its budget to the program this year.
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