Garcia proposed the initiative during a meeting with DSWD 7 Director Shalaine Marie Lucero and Assistant Regional Director Johnny Cantero at the Capitol on Thursday, July 6, 2023.
The 4Ps program provides conditional cash assistance to low-income families for child health, nutrition and education. Garcia observed, though, that these financial incentives were not used as expected, with some beneficiaries using it to buy alcoholic beverages or engage in gambling activities, reported Sugbo News, the Capitol’s online news portal.
The governor suggested to the DSWD 7 to consider replicating the Cebu Provincial Government’s Dasig Sugbo card system in which beneficiaries are issued QR-coded cards that can be used to redeem pre-approved items such as home materials and food supplies from the Capitol’s partner stores rather than distributing cash. (NWSSU intern Kyle Andrei Acuña)