‘Epal’ bets using cash program warned of raps

TACLOBAN CITY – The Commission on Elections (Comelec) has warned candidates in the coming barangay (village) elections to keep off the government’s conditional cash transfer program in their campaigns or be charged criminally with election offenses.

The Comelec issued the warning after receiving reports that the Pantawid Pamilyang Pilipino Program (4Ps) is being used by some candidates to intimidate voters, who are being threatened with being removed from the list of 4Ps beneficiaries if they do not vote for particular candidates.

Jose Nick Mendros, Comelec Eastern Visayas director, said candidates who would use the 4Ps in their campaign would face criminal charges under the Fair Elections Act.

Those who would be found guilty of using 4Ps in their campaign would be imprisoned for at least six years and perpetually disqualified from holding public office.

The Comelec, the Department of the Interior and Local Government, and the Department of Social Welfare and Development have entered into an agreement to enforce a program called “Bawal and Epal Dito,” which seeks to shield the 4Ps from being used in candidates’ dirty tactics.

The agreement had been signed on Oct. 1 and allows the DSWD and DILG to monitor cases involving the use of 4Ps by candidates.

Remia Tapispisan, DSWD director for Eastern Visayas, said the DSWD is the only agency authorized to remove beneficiaries from 4Ps.

Tapispisan said beneficiaries would be removed from the program only if found violating the program’s conditions—attend family development sessions, send children to school and send children to regular health checkups.

There are at least 250,000 4Ps beneficiary in Eastern Visayas.