DSWD-6 warns against 4Ps enrollment, cash card data inquiry

By Jennifer P. Rendon

The Department of Social Welfare and Development (DSWD) in Region 6 again cautioned that it is not currently enlisting supposed beneficiaries for the Pantawid Pamilyang Pilipino Program (4Ps).

The agency issued the advisory over the weekend after monitoring an individual soliciting personal information of residents of an undisclosed town.

The person was wearing a vest with a DSWD-NCR logo. He was allegedly asking persons who are not yet 4Ps beneficiary to enroll in the program.

4Ps is a poverty reduction strategy that provides grants to extremely poor households to improve their health, nutrition and education particularly of children aged 0-14.

For them to be enrolled, the DSWD employee poser was asking for the copies of birth certificate, with the promise that they would be automatically enrolled in the program.

“We don’t deploy personnel for now, much more if he or she comes from the National Capital Region,” the DSWD-6 said in a statement.

For those who are already beneficiaries, they were asked of the card account number and were given school certification.

“As to the school certification, we have our own system in updating the records of our beneficiaries,” the advisory stated.

DSWD-6 called on the public not to give out their personal details or provide copies of their birth certificate or their account numbers.

“That’s not our legitimate activity,” it added.

The agency surmised that personal information could be used against them. It also enjoined the public to fight fake news, misinformation, and disinformation.

Earlier, the DSWD-6 has also warned the public against giving out their personal information.

There were text messages asking for their personal circumstances.

The agency feared that their personal data might be used to scam people.