MANILA, (PNA) — The Commission on Elections (Comelec) said the Pantawid Pamilyang Pilipino Program (4Ps) or the Conditional Cash Transfer (CCT) program is covered by the law that prohibits the release of funds during the campaign period.
With this, Comelec Commissioner Grace Padaca said the release of the funds for the program will not be allowed during the said period which starts from October 18 until October 28, Election Day.
“Within the 10-day campaign period, those releases that have yet to start will not be allowed already,” she said in press conference.
Section 261 of the Omnibus Election Code states that it is prohibited for any public official or employee to release public funds prior to Election Day.
Under the 4P, there are some 3.9 million families/beneficiaries nationwide, where they are given P2,800 every two months to cover health and education benefits.
On the other hand, Department of Social Welfare and Development (DSWD) Secretary Dinky Soliman assured beneficiaries that the benefits will not be affected as they intend to complete the release the funds prior to the prohibited period.
“We will begin the pay outs now so that it will be finished in time for the prohibited period,” she added.
Meanwhile, the Comelec, DSWD, and the Department of Interior and Local Government (DILG) warned that barangay polls candidates will be penalized if proven that they use the CCT program for their advantage in the October 28 polls.
“Let me make it clear that only the DSWD has the right to remove or include families in the beneficiary list, and not any local candidate,” the DSWD chief said.
For his part, Comelec Commissioner Lucenito Tagle said they are contemplating on the possibility of filing election offense cases against those proven to engage in such activity.
“We are still studying what possible cases we can file but definitely election offense is one of them,” he said.
The poll body official noted that the conviction could mean one to six year imprisonment, removal of right to vote and disqualification from public office.