TUGUEGARAO CITY, April 19 (PIA) – Despite massive information dissemination and warnings to political candidates, the Department of Social Welfare and Development (DSWD) Region 2 has received several complaints that some political candidates are utilizing and even harassing some beneficiaries of the PantawidPamilya program.

Violeta Cruz said they have recorded complaints from beneficiaries of the municipalities of Lasam, StaTeresita and Ballesteros of Cagayan province and Ramon of Isabela province.

She said they conducted investigation on the said complaints and they immediately called the attention of the political candidates involved.

“We urge our political candidates to spare our lowly beneficiaries from their political agenda. Let them exercise their right of suffrage freely without due force or threat in their choice of candidate to vote,” Cruz said.

She further stated that based on the complaints, there were politicians who were threatening beneficiaries to vote for them, otherwise they will be delisted or their cash grants will not be released.

There was also one mayoralty candidate who padlocked a core shelter unit given to a beneficiary because the family was allegedly identified as supporter of his opponent. Others also forced beneficiaries to attend in their campaign sorties.

“We reiterate to the beneficiaries that only DSWD Secretary Dinky Soliman can delist their names from the list and the grounds for deletion are the non-compliance of the conditionalities stated in the program. No political candidate has the right to delist you as beneficiaries. You participate in the election on your free will,” Cruz stressed.

She also urged beneficiaries to participate in campaign sorties as individual voters and not to present themselves as members of the 4Ps sector as well as not to wear anything that may identify them as 4Ps beneficiaries.