The Department of Social Welfare and Development (DSWD) clarifies issues on the discontinuation of the Pantawid Pamilya Pilipino Program saying that the country’s conditional cash transfer program will not end in 2019.

The statement has been issued after rumors circulated nationwide that many beneficiaries will be delisted from the program and that it will end in two years.

In a statement given by the department’s Secretary, Judy M. Taguiwalo, she clarified that only the counterpart financing of the World Bank specifically the Social Welfare and Development Reform Project II (SWDP II) amounting to 450 million US dollars and Asian Development Bank (ADB) is set to end in 2019.

Meanwhile, DSWD continuously develops and improves the system of the program for better delivery of services to its clients. A recertification, review and tracking of beneficiaries will be conducted to ensure that significant progress is monitored and evident in the lives of the beneficiaries.

“We are currently reviewing our program for improvement and enhancement of systems. This will also open doors for us to be able to introduce other DSWD’s programs and services that may help our beneficiaries become stable and sustainable in their level of well-being,” DSWD-9 Regional Director, Atty. Araceli F. Solamillo said.

Regional Director Solamillo added that no beneficiary will be cut off from the program without passing through thorough validation and review process.

Payout of cash grants and compliance to the program conditionalities shall continue to be monitored in the duration of the recertification.

The ongoing 4Ps program review is being done also in line with efforts to review the Philippine social protection framework. There is an evident need to put together a social protection framework which is in line with the Philippine Development Plan (PDP) that aims for a more universal and transformative kind of social protection scheme.