The Department of Social Welfare and Development in Western Visayas (DSWD-6) warned all beneficiaries of Pantawid Pamilyang Pilipino Program not to pawn their cash cards as guarantee for their loans, collaterals and other lending transactions.

This after the Grievance Redness System (GRS) of the Pantawid Pamilya program in the region has been receiving reports on cash card pawning and making use of Pantawid documents as loan collateral since last year.

Only last week, 67 Pantawid grantees who came from villages of Barangay 1, Banago, Bata and Mandalagan, all in Bacolod City were caught pawning their cash cards to a female lender, who later surrendered those pawned cash cards to Bacolod City Social Welfare and Development Office (CSWDO) after several mediations made by Punong Barangay of Brgy. Banago.

DSWD-6’s Pantawid Pamilya Project Coordinator Jonathan Anteza emphasized that the misbehavior being shown by those beneficiaries is a clear violation of one of the conditions set by the program under the Pantawid Pamilya National Advisory Council (NAC).

NAC is an inter-agency and highest policy- making body that provides policy directions and guidance on matters pertinent to Pantawid Pamilya implementation.

Under NAC Resolution No. 20 series of 2014, it is stated that beneficiaries who were complained of or caught pawning their cash cards will be facing the following: first offense, warning by the Municipal Link (ML); second offense, suspension of grants for three months or temporarily change of grantee to another responsible adult member or in the absence of an eligible household member, the MSWDO, until suspension period has concluded; and third offense, termination from the program issued by the NAC based on the recommendation of the Regional Advisory Committee.

Anteza said any appeal will no longer be entertained after the approval of NAC.

In the case of Bacolod City, Anteza said caught grantees will be placed under counselling and monitoring.

“This is an isolated case and very minimal. If you will based it on our total number of beneficiaries here in the region it’s just less than one percent, however, we are not tolerating them. This incident may serve as lesson to those other beneficiaries and we are emphasizing that we are very serious and committed to strictly implement the program”, he said.

Anteza added that Pantawid Pamilya supports the achievement of the Millennium Development Goals to help eradicate extreme poverty and hunger, achieve universal primary education, reduce child mortality, improve maternal health and promote gender equality and empower women.

As of January this year, there are 325, 775 active beneficiaries in the region.

VALUING
Nora Abella, 45, of South San Jose, Molo district, Iloilo City admitted that there was a time that she also thought of pawning her cash card after her three children got sick.

Abella, a widow for nine years, however, said she valued her kids just like how she valued the privilege given to her by the government.

“On that moment, I was thinking that taking risk in violating the condition is just like letting go of the opportunity. All I could do is to pray to God that somebody might help me or offer money for my kids’ medication,” she said.

God has been good when her prayers were answered. Abella said her two brothers-in law extended money to her for medicines and food of their nieces and nephew.

Abella’s good behavior earned the trustof her fellow beneficiaries who elected her as parent leader. She has been into the program for almost four years. Selling street food has been her livelihood since then when husband died.

According to her, she is confident that her three kids will finish their high school after they were included on the program. Every after two months, she has is receiving P 2,800 and spends it for their food and education.

Abella said she might not avail of the program anymore if she allowed herself to pawn her cash card./dswd.6//Montesa Grino-Caoyonan