DSWD says safeguards in place to stop conditional cash transfer leakage

THE government’s conditional cash transfer program has mechanisms for rooting out ineligible beneficiaries from its database, the Department of Social Welfare and Development (DSWD) said. "We have a Grievance Redress System (GRS) which captures and processes complaints about the program and the beneficiaries. Through this, we have already delisted more than 77,000 beneficiaries,” Secretary Corazon Juliano-Soliman said in a statement. Ms. Soliman was responding to reports that the program, known as Pantawid Pamilyang Pilipino, allegedly suffers a leakage rate of 30%. The leakage data was attributed to a study by the Asian development Bank. In a separate statement, the DSWD said it clarified with the ADB that the study in question was based on 2009 data. Philippine Country Director Richard Bolt was quoted as saying in the statement that "the figure in the ‘Learning Lessons’ publication of ADB’s Independent Evaluation Department is sourced from a 2013 study done by the Philippine Institute of Development Studies (PIDS), which is based on 2009 data and earlier poverty targeting practices. It is unfortunate that this reference was not clear. " Mr. Bolt added that the problems related to beneficiary targeting raised in the PIDS report has been fully addressed by the DSWD and the conditional cash transfer program. "As such, we are confident that the issue raised is no longer the case in the ongoing conditional cash transfer program,” Mr. Bolt said. --