Secretary Erwin T. Tulfo said the Department of Social Welfare and Development (DSWD) will open its offices, even on Saturdays and Sundays, if necessary, to give way to individuals and families who seek to be part of the Pantawid Pamilyang Pilipino Program or 4Ps.

“Bubuksan natin ang mga gate ng DSWD (We will open the gates of DSWD),” Tulfo said in a statement on Tuesday, Aug. 30.

According to the DSWD chief, the initiative aims to accommodate single parents, poor households, farmers, fishers, and individuals who wish to be included in the 4Ps.

Currently, the National Household Targeting Office (NHTO) is drafting the guidelines for the On-Demand Application (ODA) to specifically include those who were not covered by the Listahanan 3 enumeration, giving preferential attention to the marginalized and most vulnerable sector of our society.

Meanwhile, the schedule for the application and other significant details are yet to be announced as the guidelines are still being finalized by the NHTO.

DSWD reiterates only ‘poor’ households eligible for 4Ps grants

However, the DSWD clarified that individuals and families who wish to be included in the 4Ps list are still subject to validation and verification by the agency’s personnel, if they are considered “poor,” based on the tools used by the standardized targeting system or Listahanan.

Listahanan is used by the DSWD in selecting qualified household-beneficiaries for 4Ps, pursuant to Rule V of the program’s Implementing Rules and Regulations or the Selection of Qualified Households and Criteria for Eligibility.

It emphasized that enrolled households have no guarantee of being automatically included in the 4Ps program, as they will have to undergo further evaluation.

Tulfo further explained that the list of graduating/exiting households that will come from the 4Ps parent-leaders will undergo validation and cross-matching with the DSWD’s database and with the results of the Listahanan 3.

“Iko-compare po natin ang listahan nila sa listahan ng 4Ps to make sure na lahat ng aalisin natin ay talagang makatatayo na sa kanilang mga paa” (We will compare the list of graduating members from 4Ps parent leaders with our list to make sure that members who will be removed are already self-sufficient/non-poor households),” he said.

Tulfo had directed the 4Ps-National Program Management Office to ensure that all municipal and city links, including 4Ps parent leaders, will submit case folders of their assigned household-beneficiaries to check the status of their living conditions.