Malacañang on Monday defended the Department of Social Welfare and Development’s (DSWD) plan to spend P10.5 million for an anti-epal campaign.

Palace deputy spokesman Abigail Valte clarified the alleged misuse of the Social Welfare department’s funds to bankroll its campaign for the upcoming elections, saying that it is actually the budget of the Social Marketing Service (SMS) of the said agency, which spearheads the development of the DSWD’s various programs.

Valte said that SMS leads the agency advocacy of informing beneficiaries, specifically of the Conditional Cash Transfer (CCT) program, of their inclusion or exclusion from the program.

“I have spoken to some of my counterparts in the DSWD and apparently the amount that was being mentioned by the senatorial candidate that had made that statement is the budget of the actual unit, of the entire unit—the Social Marketing Service under the DSWD that has been there and is helping the department with its various programs,” she said

Valte said that the through an information campaign, member beneficiaries of the government’s antipoverty program are made fully aware of their rights to the financial measure.

“Essentially, it’s an advocacy of the DSWD to inform the beneficiaries themselves, kasi po may mga nakukuha kaming report na minsan meron pong mga local politicians na sinasabi sa mga beneficiaries na ‘o, kapag hindi ka sumama sa akin, hindi kayo bumoto para sa akin, ipapatanggal ko kayo sa listahan [This is an advocacy of the department to inform beneficiaries themselves that they are enrolled under the conditional cash transfer not because of local politicians. We received reports that some local politicians are threatening CCT beneficiaries that they would be delisted if they do not support these politicians],” she added.

Moreover, Valte said that the main reason they included in a certain program of the agency is because they are qualified beneficiaries determined by the National Household Targeting System, adding that the only reason they may be taken off any program is because they did not comply with the agency’s requirements and not because of any local government officials.

“This is part of the advocacy of the DSWD to ensure that the beneficiaries know that they have been included in the program because they are qualified as identified by the national household targeting system and if they have been dropped from the program, that means they did not comply- and not from the say-so of any local government official,” she said.

Valte said that this information campaign has become more relevant with the upcoming midterm elections in May.

“What we are trying to safeguard against is that the program becomes a tool for patronage politics,” she added.

Epal refers to politicians and government officials who put up announcements of projects using taxpayers’ money with their names and faces prominently displayed on the billboards or posters.

On December 31, 2012, local newspapers published a DSWD invitation to bid for “Hiring of Service provider for the newspaper publications, and the production and airing of TV and radio commercials for the ‘Bawal ang EPAL dito’ campaign of the Pantawid Pamilya Pilipino Program.”