DSWD official leads anti-epal campaign in Samar

TACLOBAN CITY, Philippines – Social Welfare and Development assistant secretary Javier “JV” Jimenez is now going the rounds of Samar province for the “Bawal ang Epal” campaign.

This after DSWD received numerous reports that some politicians there had been claiming credit for the Pantawid Pamilyang Pilipino Program, or 4P’s, and using it for their political ends.

Jimenez, a Samarnon who is also the official spokesperson of DSWD Secretary Dinky Soliman, appealed to the media, during a press conference on Monday, for help in disseminating information to the public that 4Ps is a national initiative and beneficiaries do not own local politicians for being enrolled in this program.

Local politicians also could not delist beneficiaries, Jimenez clarified in reaction to reports that politicians have been threatening beneficiaries of being excluded from the program if the latter will not support their candidacies.

This act of threatening beneficiaries for political ends is a dirty tactic and an “extreme form of epal,” said Jimenez.

On politicians using pictures of 4Ps distribution as their own, Jimenez said, “over the years, we have discouraged the use of pictures on tarps, posters, especially on DSWD programs ... We discouraged it but we don’t openly prevent it.”

Jimenez said DSWD “chooses the beneficiaries and also do the exclusion,” of those unqualified. Even qualified beneficiaries can also be disqualified after they are found to have pawned their cash cards thrice, without valid reason, and used the money for gambling, or broke the rules of letting their children go to school and visiting their health centers regularly.

The assistant secretary, however, refused to name the politicians in Samar who have been using 4Ps for their own political purposes. He added that, due to the lack of a law prohibiting “epal,” the DSWD had to approach the politician in a diplomatic manner. “Pakiusapan lang,” he said.

Jimenez encouraged the public to send text messages to the DSWD’s hotline, 0918-9232813, about anomalies in the implementation of the 4Ps. He assured them the agency will take note of all the messages it receives, and take time to address each concern.

“Hangga’t hindi nare-resolve ang problema,” said Jimenez, the “red flag” over a particular local government unit will remain in the DSWD’s monitoring system.

As of August 7, the 4Ps in Eastern Visayas has 424,313 beneficiaries. The DSWD is now targeting to increase the number to 719,273 families after a household assessment this month is completed.

About 2,000 enumerators have been hired for the purpose, said Jimenez, as he appealed to the people of Region 8 to cooperate with the enumerators and be truthful of the information they share for the 4Ps.