CEBU CITY - At least 90,242 individuals in Central Visayas will be added as new beneficiaries of the Pantawid Pamilyang Pilipino Program (4Ps), a social welfare official said Friday.

DSWD-7 regional director Shalaine Marie Lucero said the number accounts for 31 percent of the 288,841 households in Region 7.
Lucero said the new 4Ps beneficiaries would replace beneficiaries who recently exited the program.

According to Lucero, those who were replaced underwent assessment and were found to have achieved a self-sufficient level. These include 4Ps households with children who have finished their senior high school studies and those who have no monitored eligible children.

She, however, did not immediately provide the actual number of families who graduated from the program.

Of the number of the new beneficiaries, 45 percent will be from Cebu province comprising a total of 40,817 while 35 percent (31,625) will be from Negros Oriental. Bohol will have 16,971 new beneficiaries and Siquijor, 829, she said.

She urged the public to help the agency validate the master list to ensure that only deserving households will receive the cash grants from the national government.

"After we post the master list in each area, the validation process will follow, which will be done through a community assembly or a house-to-house visit by our 4Ps staff," Lucero said.

Jiah Sayson, Department of Social Welfare and Development (DSWD)-Central Visayas' 4Ps regional program coordinator, said the master list will be posted this month in conspicuous spaces in the barangay, city, and municipal halls.

Sayson said potential households eyed for the conditional cash grants are required to submit certificates of marriage, birth, health, and school enrollment, as well as valid proof of identification (ID) or other alternate documents to support their registration.

"The 4Ps Listahan 3 will undergo validation through a registration process. There's no automatic membership. The validation schedule will start on Feb. 15 until March 10," Sayson told the Philippine News Agency.

Sayson said the new beneficiaries can receive their cash grants soon after they are enrolled in the 4Ps database and getting an account number and cash card from the Land Bank of the Philippines.

Lucero said the agency will install a grievance help desk during the 4Ps registration to receive complaints from beneficiaries and the public. (PNA)