Manila – The Department of Social Welfare and Development (DSWD) together with the Department of Interior and Local Government (DILG) and the Commission on Elections (COMELEC) will sign on October 1, at the COMELEC Office in Intramuros, a Joint Memorandum Circular (JMC) that will provide policy guidelines to safeguard the Pantawid Pamilyang Pilipino Program of DSWD from being used by personalities as leverage for the upcoming barangay elections.
No less than DSWD Secretary Corazon Juliano-Soliman will lead the signing together with DILG Undersecretary Austere A. Panadero and COMELEC Chairman Sixto S. Brillantes.
According to Soliman, DSWD is taking bold steps to shield the programs of the department most especially Pantawid Pamilya from individuals or groups who may wish to take advantage of the program and its beneficiaries.
“Based on our experience, election period has been one of the most crucial events in the implementation of our programs as there are individuals, electoral candidates and government officials who use the program to advance their political interests. During the midterm elections we have made our message clear, thus, we continue with our campaign,” Soliman shared.
She added, “With the signing of the JMC by the DSWD, DILG and COMELEC, we are hopeful that the number of election-related Pantawid Pamilya grievances will drastically decrease.”
Pantawid Pamilya is the conditional cash transfer program of the Philippine government implemented through DSWD in partnership with the Department of Education (DepEd), Department of Health (DoH) and DILG. It provides cash grants to poor households with the condition that they send their children to school and, along with pregnant mothers, visit their health centers regularly. The cash grants are an investment in human capital, specifically child education and maternal and child health.
There are 3.9 million households nationwide covered by the program as of August 24, 2013. The program is being implemented in all 17 regions of the country, covering 79 provinces, 143 cities and 1,484 municipalities. (Pantawid Pamilya).
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