Social Welfare Secretary Corazon “Dinky” Soliman will lead the Tuloy Ang Pagbabago campaign launching in Tagbilaran City this April 4, 2016.

The event will kick-off with a parade from Plaza Rizal to Bohol Tropics where a short program will follow. About 500 participants are expected to join the event that will compose of partner-beneficiaries, civil society organizations and DSWD staff.

Tuloy Ang Pagbabago is a communication campaign that is intended to protect and enhance the awareness of beneficiaries of their rights and duties, especially for the upcoming national elections.

Through the campaign, partner-beneficiaries are expected to be more vigilant and more informed most especially of their rights as citizens anchored on the Active Citizenship Module of the Family Development Session.

Also, the campaign seeks to encourage them to be actively involved in the entire electoral process, capacitating them to speak and stand for their rights.

Sec. Soliman earlier stressed that the Department has strengthened the conduct of Family Development Sessions (FDS) especially during this election season to inform the beneficiaries of their rights.

A conditionality for the beneficiaries, the FDS is a venue where topics on responsible parenthood, disaster preparedness, and laws pertaining to women and children are discussed. In the Active Citizenship Module, the beneficiaries are taught about their roles in nation-building and informed about their rights to participate in the electoral process.

Meanwhile, Soliman reiterates that local officials do not have the capacity to delist households from the roster of beneficiaries of the Pantawid Pamilyang Pilipino Program.

This came after the Department received reports that there are some barangay captains threatening beneficiaries of being taken out of the program if they do not vote for the candidates that they are endorsing.

“Beneficiaries remain in the program based on their compliance to the program conditionalities and not on the decision of local officials or on their preference of candidates in the upcoming elections,” Soliman cited.

She added that DSWD partner-beneficiaries are empowered individuals and it is part of their electoral freedom to vote for candidates who epitomize their beliefs and principles. ###

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