Implementing Guidelines on the Replacement of Pantawid Pamilya Households to Reach the Annual Household Coverage

June 11, 2019

DSWD MEMORANDUM CIRCULAR NO. 12, S. 2019

IMPLEMENTING GUIDELINES ON THE REPLACEMENT OF PANTAWID PAMILYA HOUSEHOLDS TO REACH THE ANNUAL HOUSEHOLD COVERAGE

I. RATIONALE

The Pantawid Pamilyang Pilipino Program (Pantawid Pamilya) is a key social policy tool of the Philippine government and is playing a major role in the delivery of social protection services. The National Economic and Development Authority (NEDA) recognizes that Pantawid Pamilya is the most comprehensive program that address the vulnerability of poor households and recommends that it be sustained and enhanced.

Since 2008, the program has registered 4,876,123 beneficiary households. At the start of 2018, a total of 4,394,813 registered households are active but by the end of October 2018, it has gone down to only 4,178,985 active registered households which is just 95% of its physical target for 2018 of 4,400,000 households.

Meanwhile, some 2 million poor households identified in the second round of Listahanan in 2015-2016 are not yet considered for the conditional cash transfer (CCT) program. To sustain its relevance in the coming years as a center-piece social protection measure, the program must continue to reach more poor households to the extent that its annual budget allows. The more than 200,000 households that exited and are due to exit the program in 2018 must be replaced with a new set of beneficiaries so that the program can further pursue its social mission of bringing poor households and their children into the virtuous cycle of human capital accumulation and poverty reduction.

To address this, on December 13, 2018, the National Advisory Committee (NAC) passed Resolution No. 43 institutionalizing a replacement policy that allows for the continuous replacement of CCT households with eligible ones that are not yet covered.

II. OBJECTIVES

This policy document is being issued to guide the program implementers on how to operationalize the policy on replacing households that exited the program, specifically on the aspects of functional roles, planning, targeting, registration, and timeline of replacement activities.

III. IMPLEMENTING GUIDELINES

A. Targeting and Prioritization

1. At the end of every year, the National Program Management Office (NPMO) shall account for and report barangay-level count of estimated number of households to be replaced in the following year. This will include the (i) total number of households delisted the entire year and the (ii) total number of households that will graduate by end of school year in the following year, with an additional 15% buffer in anticipation of possible undercoverage;

2. Household replacement shall be carried out in barangays in the same city/municipality and province where household beneficiaries have exited. Other barangays, city/municipalities, or even provinces may be considered when:

a. All Listahanan-identified poor households in the same barangay, city/municipality, or province are already covered by the program;

b. The caseload of the assigned City/Municipal Link is beyond the average 800 household per City/Municipal Link; or when

c. The proposed area has been affected by natural or human-induced disasters, subject to approval of the Secretary.

3. Listahanan poor households shall be the prioritized in the household replacement starting from households with the lowest PMT score based from the latest Listahanan data;

4. Subject to approval of the Secretary, the following households in vulnerable situations may also be considered to the program, under the Modified Conditional Cash Transfer scheme:

a. Indigenous households;

b. Homeless street families; aDSIHc

c. Families affected by natural disasters and human-induced calamities; and

d. Families of former rebels, as governed by Executive Order 70, series of 2018.

B. Registration

1. Registration of replacement households shall follow the existing procedures in the registration of households in the Program detailed in the approved BDMD Field Manual.

2. BDMD shall conduct the necessary technical orientation to the RPMOs to ensure that they are sufficiently prepared in terms of knowledge, awareness, and skills in conducting the registration.

3. BDMD shall closely monitor the progress of registration and shall submit monthly update reports to the National Program Manager for information and appropriate action on concerns that need immediate resolution.

4. BDMD shall notify the concerned regions on possible duplicates and, together with the RPMOs, shall ensure that double or multiple registrations of the same beneficiaries are avoided by all means.

5. The Regional RMQA Officers shall conduct a quality assurance on the encoded households for registration but not later than two (2) weeks after encoding. They shall check the data correctness, consistency and possible duplicates as a result of possible erroneous encoding. Should there be any findings, it will be immediately endorsed to BDMD for appropriate action.

6. Households that have been processed for registration but for various reasons were not included in the list of households endorsed by BDMD to be paid shall be prioritized for inclusion and payment in the succeeding year subject to availability of funds.

7. BDMD, PMED, MCCTD, and FMS-SP shall closely coordinate and collaborate in monitoring possible deficits and surpluses to ensure that registration and payment of replacement households optimally meet the physical and financial targets.

C. Institutional Arrangement

Key DSWD offices and divisions of the Pantawid Pamilya National Program Management Office (NPMO) shall be involved to perform their respective functions as described:

1. Planning, Monitoring and Evaluation Division (PMED) shall:

a. Account for and set the final number of households that need to be replaced.

b. Refine and apply the targeting and selection criteria based on defined priorities.

c. Coordinate with the DSWD National Household Targeting Office (NHTO) in securing the list of poor households in Listahanan that are potential Pantawid Pamilya beneficiaries.

d. Run the Eligibility Check Routine (ECR) and duplicity checks.

e. Prepare the final list of potential and eligible beneficiary households.

f. Prepare the final list of deactivated households that may need to be reactivated as the case may be to reach the annual physical target.

g. Estimate and monitor possible cash grant deficit or surplus in collaboration with the Financial Management Service Special Projects.

2. Beneficiary Data Management Division (BDMD) shall:

a. Prepare pre-generated validation and other registration documents, such as, but not limited to the list of households for posting, certificate of validation, and the like for the potential and eligible beneficiaries.

b. Securely transmit all the registration documents to RPMOs.

c. Coordinate and provide technical assistance to the RPMOs regarding preparations for and addressing concerns on posting of list of potential beneficiaries, verifying identities, detecting and preventing duplicate registrations, registering beneficiaries, encoding and approval of registration data.

d. Prepare and officially submit to the Financial Management Service Special Projects the final list of newly registered beneficiaries for the initial non-compliance based cash grant payment.

3. Grievance Redress Division (GRD) shall:

a. Account for and prepare the final list of households that requested for inclusion verified with NHTO.

b. Provide technical assistance to RPMOs in handling grievances pertaining to inclusion requests.

c. Feedback households requesting for inclusion if found non-poor by NHTO.

4. Compliance Verification Division (CVD) shall:

a. Account for the total number of households that have been deactivated due to continuous noncompliance or no more eligible member in the household.

b. Ensure inclusion of registered households in compliance-based payments.

5. Modified Conditional Cash Transfer Division (MCCTD) shall:

a. Account for the total number of households that have been delisted from the MCCT program.

b. Account for and prepare the list of eligible households for possible inclusion to MCCT provided these households are living in MCCT areas.

c. Prepare the list of MCCT beneficiaries who were already assessed by NHTO.

6. Risk Management and Quality Assurance Division (RMQAD) shall:

a. Devise measures or systems, in coordination with concerned divisions, that will ensure data quality of the newly registered households in terms of accuracy, completeness, and consistency.

b. Provide technical assistance to regional RMQA focals to conduct quality assurance on the encoded households for registration prior to initial payroll but not later than one (1) week after encoding. Any findings shall be immediately endorsed to concerned focals for appropriate action. ETHIDa

c. Provide recommendation to any potential problem that may defeat the purpose of household replacement.

7. Financial Management Service Special Projects (FMS-SP) shall:

a. Prepare payroll for the initial cash grant payment to newly registered households based on the submitted list of BDMD;

b. Coordinate with LBP in ensuring that corresponding accounts have been created;

c. Coordinate and provide technical assistance to RPMOs in the preparation for the first payout for the newly registered beneficiaries; and

d. Provide timely advice to NPMO in case there will be a deficit or surplus in cash grant budget based on the running estimates vis-à-vis payments due to current households and to newly registered households.

8. Regional Program Management Offices (RPMOs)

a. Conduct necessary activities pertaining to registration of households as stipulated in the enhanced registration guidelines and pursuant to this implementing guidelines.

b. Report to NPMO any issue arising from the implementation of this implementing guidelines.

D. Timeline

The replacement of households shall follow the timeline below but NPMO shall incorporate the replacement activities in the systems timeline.

 

Month	Activity
January to March	Preparatory Stage
	• Estimation
	• Work and Financial Planning
	• Preparation of lists of replacement households
April to September	Registration and Encoding
October to December	Approval

 

IV. SEPARABILITY CLAUSE

The invalidation or subsequent revisions of any section or clauses of this set of guidelines shall not affect the validity of the remainder.

V. REPEALING CLAUSE

This set of guidelines supersedes all issuances inconsistent herewith. All matters not covered by this procedure that require clarification shall be brought to the attention of the National Program Management Office for immediate resolution.

VI. EFFECTIVITY

This implementing guidelines shall take effect immediately and shall be circulated to all DSWD Field Offices, especially Pantawid Pamilya Regional Program Management Offices.

Issued this 11 day of June 2019, in Quezon City, Philippines.

(SGD.) ROLANDO JOSELITO D. BAUTISTASecretary