Claim: 4Ps party-list group’s acronym cannot be confused with the DSWD’s 4Ps program

Rating: FALSE

Context:

While it is true that the Pagtibayin at Palaguin ang Pangkabuhayang Pilipino party-list group has no connection with the Department of Social Welfare and Development’s (DSWD) Pantawid Pamilyang Pilipino Program, there is still confusion with the party-list group’s use of the acronym 4Ps already being used by DSWD for two main reasons.

First, there is a similarity with the party-list group’s logo with the DSWD’s 4Ps program’s logo. Aside from using the colors blue and red, the general shape and texture are almost the same (4Ps Party-list, 2022; Pantawid Pamilyang Pilipino Program, 2016).

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Second, it is wrong for the party-list group to claim (Valmonte, 2022) that the use of the 4Ps acronym is similar to other party-list groups that use familiar acronyms like BHW (barangay health worker) and OFW (overseas Filipino worker). BHW and OFW are generic acronyms. 4Ps, on the other hand, is a government program that assists more than five million households since it was initiated in 2008 (Cudis, 2022). DSWD’s 4Ps is a social protection program that provides conditional cash grants to poor households to assist in health and education expenses (DSWD, n.d.).

Not surprisingly, the DSWD has denounced the use of the 4Ps acronym by the party-list group and has called for the cancellation of the latter’s Securities and Exchange Commission (SEC) registration (Romero, 2022).

References:

• 4Ps Party-list. (2022, January 11). [Image attached]. Facebook. https://www.facebook.com/photo/?fbid=115031387712320&set=a.115031377712321
• Cudis, C. (2022, February 28). 4Ps program aids family-beneficiaries to be self-sufficient. Philippine News Agency. https://www.pna.gov.ph/articles/1168709
• Department of Social Welfare and Development. (n.d.). Programs and services: Pantawid Pamilya. https://pantawid.dswd.gov.ph/about/
• Pantawid Pamilyang Pilipino Program. (2016, October 3). [Image attached]. Facebook. https://www.facebook.com/DSWDPantawidPamilya/photos/a.127531963964752/1249674855083785/
• Romero, J. (2022, March 24). DSWD tutol sa paggamit ng partylist sa pangalang ‘4Ps’. ABS-CBN News. https://news.abs-cbn.com/news/03/24/22/dswd-tutol-sa-paggamit-ng-partylist-sa-pangalang-4ps
• Valmonte, K. (2022, April 7). Party-list says name is ‘completely different’ from DSWD ‘4Ps’ program. Philstar.com. https://www.philstar.com/headlines/2022/04/07/2172969/party-list-says-name-completely-different-dswd-4ps-program

Note: Kontra Daya is a member of fact-checking groups Tsek.PH and #FactsFirstPH. Our independent fact-checks are part of our voter’s education program.