DAVAO CITY (MindaNews / 15 June) – Beneficiaries of the national government’s Pantawid Pamilyang Pilipino Program (4Ps) or conditional cash transfer continue to pawn their cash cards for their debts, the Department of Social Welfare and Development (DSWD)-Davao Region said.
During the Kapihan sa Philippine Information Agency on Friday, Margie C. Cabido, division chief of DSWD-Davao’s 4Ps, said the practice has persisted despite being discouraged by the agency.
Among the reasons, families would borrow money using their cash cards as collateral because they need immediate cash for “family emergencies” or to purchase basic necessities, she said.
Cabido, however, said that most of the vulnerable beneficiaries end up getting buried in debts, reminding them that cash grants such as those provided under the 4Ps are “properties of the government.”
She said that while the agency does not sanction the borrowers, those 4Ps beneficiaries who act as bridge between borrowers and lenders will be delisted from the program.
She said the DSWD-Davao is lobbying with local government units to pass ordinances to address the cash card pawning, including cases of misbehavior among the beneficiaries.
She said Tagum City in Davao del Norte and Padada town in Davao del Sur are among the local governments in the region that passed ordinances to penalize the pawning of cash cards.
“Ang target sa balaud katong naga pa utang, dili tong mga 4Ps beneficiaries kasi usahay naa gyud manipulation and vulnerable kaayo atong 4P beneficiaries na mutuo sa ilang mga promises pero nahikot na diay sila sa utang (Our target is the lenders, not our 4Ps beneficiaries, because there is manipulation and our beneficiaries are so vulnerable that they up getting tied to their debts),” she said.
She said the DSWD-Davao continues to educate the beneficiaries not to let someone borrow their cash cards or use them as collateral.
There are 24 households delisted due to offenses, including cash card pawning, and 70 suspended as of June 14, according to DSWD-Davao.
The 4Ps is a “human development program of the national government that invests in the health and education of poor households, particularly children aged 0 to 18 years old, pregnant women and/or lactating mothers,” according to a briefer.
The region has a total of 271,565 active households under the 4Ps program as of May. Of this total, 40,156 are in Davao City, 59,923 in Davao de Oro, 54,432 in Davao del Norte, 35,030 in Davao del Sur, 32,790 in Davao Occidental, and 49,234 in Davao Oriental.
According to the DSWD-Davao, the beneficiaries will be monitored continuously “regarding their compliance to the conditionalities attached to the cash transfer,” such as making sure that their children attend school regularly, undergo health check-ups, and attend monthly Family Development Sessions. (Antonio L. Colina IV/MindaNews)
