FACT CHECK: Posts claiming to show lists of UCT and 4Ps beneficiaries are fake

Claim: Beneficiaries of the Unconditional Cash Transfer Program (UCT) and Pantawid Pamilyang Pilipino Program (4Ps) can find their names listed online through links posted on social media.

Rating: FALSE

Why we fact-checked this: The Facebook page, “Kabayan Newsline Updates,” has repeatedly uploaded posts claiming to show payout lists for government cash assistance programs.

The first post, which shows a supposed list of UCT payout beneficiaries, has 163 shares as of writing. The second post, with 160 shares, claims to show a list of 4Ps beneficiaries from each region.

Both of the posts have also circulated in Facebook groups such as “4ps all Region update and payout,” which has around 118,000 members, and “DSWD 4P’S LANDBANK PAY-OUT NEWS UPDATE,” with around 85,900 members.

The posts also use the name and logo of the Department of Social Welfare and Development (DSWD), which may give social media users the impression that the information comes from an official government agency.

The facts: The links included in the posts are fake as they lead to unrelated e-commerce websites and not official DSWD platforms.

Verified updates on 4Ps and other DSWD programs may be found on the official DSWD website or on its verified social media page.

DSWD Advisory: The social welfare department has earlier warned the public that the agency does not release masterlists of 4Ps beneficiaries in accordance with the Data Privacy Act of 2012.

Payout schedules for 4Ps are also not posted online, and grants are automatically credited to the cash cards of beneficiaries. 

In June 2024, the DSWD told Rappler that beneficiaries are informed of their payout schedules through city or municipal links, and that they “cannot check online if they are scheduled for payout.”

Discontinued program: Meanwhile, the UCT program has been discontinued since 2020 due to a lack of allocated budget in previous years to fund it. It was originally implemented to provide cash assistance to poor households, intended to mitigate the adverse economic effects of the Tax Reform for Acceleration and Inclusion Law.

Poverty alleviation program: 4Ps was launched in 2008 as a national poverty reduction strategy that provides conditional cash transfers to beneficiaries who meet certain conditions. 4Ps members are selected through the National Targeting Household System or the Listahanan. (READ: FACT CHECK: How 4Ps funds are paid out to beneficiaries) – Samantha Uy/Rappler.com

Samantha Ysabel Uy is a Rappler volunteer. She is a third-year Broadcast Media Arts and Studies student at the University of the Philippines Diliman.