P15-B may be freed up for 4Ps after a million beneficiaries found 'no longer poor' — Palace

MANILA (3rd UPDATE) — President Ferdinand Marcos Jr. presided over his third Cabinet meeting on Tuesday, days after recuperating from his second bout with COVID-19, focusing on issues from the education and social welfare departments.

• Marcos recovers from second bout vs COVID-19

DSWD Secretary Erwin Tulfo said during the meeting that 1.3 million out of 4.4 million 4Ps beneficiaries "were no longer considered poor," according to Press Secretary Trixie Cruz-Angeles.

Angeles said that the agency is validating the list.

Tulfo earlier said families without eligible household members or who have already met the self-sufficient stage would be delisted from the 4Ps program.

Once the slots become vacated, it would be given to new beneficiaries as many applicants are on the waiting list, he had told TeleRadyo.

• DSWD to delist, replace nearly 1 million 'undeserving' 4Ps beneficiaries: Tulfo
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"This frees up P15 billion for other qualified persons to replace them and now be included in the said program," Angeles said in a press release.

The 4Ps provides conditional cash grants to the poorest of the poor, to improve the health, nutrition, and the education of children aged 0-18, the official's statement read.

MARCOS THANKS CABINET

A video of the meeting showed the officials sharing a few laughs as Marcos tried to find the proper way of addressing Vice President Sara Duterte, who also sits as Education Secretary.

“How do I address you? VP-Secretary? Secretary-VP?” Marcos asked his second-in-command.

“Inday Sara, sir,” Duterte replied, drawing chuckles.

According to the Malacañang statement, the Department of Education discussed its Priority Programs and Projects for Basic Education during the meeting.

The video stream of the meeting, uploaded on the social media pages of the Radio-Television Malacañang, was cut before substantial portions of the meeting began.

In a social media post on Tuesday night, Marcos thanked his Cabinet members for "actively laying down" their plans and projects for their respective agencies.

"Susuriin natin ng mabuti ang bawat plano, programa, at polisiya upang masigurado na nararapat at naaakma ang mga ito sa pangangailangan ng bawat Pilipino," said Marcos.

(We will really look into each plan, programs, and policies carefully to make sure that these are in line with the Filipinos' needs.)

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EDITOR'S NOTE: Malacañang said in an earlier version of a press statement that the DSWD has delisted 1.3 million 4Ps beneficiaries. In an updated statement issued in the afternoon, it said that the list is still being validated.