BAGUIO CITY –  The re-launching of Bawal Ang Epal Dito campaign of the Department of Social Welfare and Development (DSWD) last barangay elections has again encouraged the beneficiaries of the Pantawid Pamilya to exercise their rights to vote without being threatened by politicians to delist them from the Program.

The BaED campaign which was first implemented before the national mid-term elections aimed to protect the integrity of the Pantawid Program by empowering the beneficiaries to acknowledge and reinforce their rights to vote and by instilling to them the knowledge that nobody can delist them from the Program except for the DSWD National and Regional Offices.

“Epal” defined as people who take credits of other people accomplishments were targeted by the campaign to make sure the programs of the DSWD are not used for political gains and personal interests.

To evaluate the implementation of BaED in CAR, a spot-check was conducted in the province of Ifugao. Pantawid Pamilya beneficiaries in the province underscored the importance of the campaign in encouraging them to stand up against politicians who threatened of delisting them if they will not vote for them.

The beneficiaries who were also interviewed during the spot-check emphasized that politicians do not have control over the Pantawid Pamilyang Pilipino Program and that it is their right and responsibility to receive regular cash grants.

As part of the implementation of the campaign, radio commercials were aired to communicate the message and goals of the campaign not only to Pantawid Pamilya beneficiaries but also to the general public. Print advertorials were also published to further widen the campaign’s reach.

DILG and COMELEC also forged an agreement with the DSWD to further strengthen the power of the campaign for greater impact to the targeted audiences. # DSWD-CAR, SOCIAL MARKETING UNIT, Jomel Anthony V. Gutierrez