With the region’s 188,035 Pantawid Pamilya beneficiaries, DSWD-FO1 Regional Director Marcelo Nicomedes J. Castillo disclosed that there are no cases of non – existing beneficiaries in the region.

This is in response with surfacing issues on Pantawid Pamilya relative to the Commission on Audit (COA) 2012 Consolidated Audit Report.

DSWD Central Office clarified that it has responded to the issue and has already accounted the 7,782 household beneficiaries allegedly missing from the list of validated and registered beneficiaries.

Accordingly, the 7,762 beneficiaries were on the list upon double checking the list of the National Household Targeting System for Poverty Reduction(NHTS-PR). The remaining 20 were part of the data that were corrupted. These alleged non-existing beneficiaries were from Regions 3, 4A, 4B, 5, 7 and 11.

For the unliquidated accounts, DSWD clarified that as of December 2012, the total unliquidated balance from the cash grants is P3.18 billion, of which only P1.38 billion remains unliquidated as of Dec. 31, 2013.

DSWD explained that the process of liquidation requires submission of cash-pay-out documentation from Landbank and will be a continuing activity as long as there are payouts.

Also, staff are prompt at gathering necessary documents for the proper and immediate liquidation of beneficiaries’ cash grants.

Pantawid Pamilya is a conditional cash transfer program of the Philippine government which invests in human capital through health and education by providing cash grants to extremely poor households with children ages 0 – 14 years old

by: Allan O. Lulu / Information Officer II, Pantawid Pamilya