Facebook (FB) pages and groups circulated a list of new beneficiaries under the Department of Social Welfare and Development (DSWD)’s Pantawid Pamilyang Pilipino Program (4Ps). This is fake.
As early as Jan. 9, FB pages posted a graphic announcing a new set of Filipinos included in the program’s Jan. 7 to Feb. 10 payout. The posts carried the caption:
“~Source DSWD Official. Narito ang bagong listahan ng 4Ps at listahan na makakasama sa PAY Out. Nasa Link ang Listahan. Hanapin sa Link Ang Pangalan mo (Here is the new list of 4Ps and list of those included in the PAY Out. The List is in the Link. Find your name in the link). #4ps #DSWD.”
The accompanying link takes netizens to a website bombarded by ads where they can find a list of 266 individuals. Several netizens fell for the posts, with many hoping to be chosen and asking for details in the comment sections.
These are fake and are authored by pages and groups not affiliated with the DSWD.
The list was originally uploaded by Parañaque City’s Special Services Office showing beneficiaries for their Unconditional Cash Transfer (UCT) program in August 2022.
Beneficiaries of 4Ps are not chosen through online registration. According to the DSWD, beneficiaries are identified through a national household targeting system for poverty reduction called Listahanan.
Listahanan is the government’s “information management system that identifies who and where the poor are nationwide.”
VERA Files Fact Check has flagged the website libreng-ayuda-2022.blogspot.com numerous times for posting fake government announcements and registrations.
On Jan. 16, the official Pantawid Pamilyang Pilipino Program FB page announced that they have temporarily suspended the registration of new 4Ps beneficiaries as the program already reached its target number.
The DSWD, with its P245 billion budget for 2024, has vowed to strengthen its programs and services and implement digital transformation innovations within the agency.
The graphic and link were shared in at least 11 public FB posts according to the social media monitoring tool CrowdTangle. These were uploaded by FB pages such as DSWD News and Updates (created on Jan. 6, 2024) and DSWD 4ps Update (July 27, 2022) in groups like DSWD NEWS AND UPDATE (Dec. 21, 2020) and Philippine Go Hiring (created on Jan. 8, 2023 as DSWD 4ps Uct Mcct Rcct Pay Out and Registration).
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(Editor’s Note: VERA Files has partnered with Facebook to fight the spread of disinformation. Find out more about this partnership and our methodology.)
