By Ellalyn De Vera-Ruiz
The Department of Social Welfare and Development (DSWD) aims to distribute cash grants to 8 million household-beneficiaries by July to help cushion the impact of Tax Reform for Acceleration and Inclusion or TRAIN Law on poor and marginalized Filipinos.
(DSWD/ MANILA BULLETIN)
Under the government’s unconditional cash transfer (UCT) program, cash subsidy will be provided to 10 million households to help tide them over amid increasing prices of goods and services, which comprise the initial impact of the TRAIN law.
The beneficiaries will receive P200 a month as the subsidy for 2018, and P300 a month for 2019 and 2020.
Overall, DSWD targets to pay the grants of 8 million beneficiaries or 80 percent of the 10 million intended recipients of UCT by end of July.
The number includes 4.4 million Pantawid Pamilyang Pilipino Program (4Ps) beneficiaries, 3 million social pensioners, and 600,000 Listahanan validated beneficiaries.
DSWD Undersecretary Florita Villar explained that 1.7 million out of the 2.6 million or 65 percent of identified households based on the 2015 Listahanan have been validated as potential beneficiaries for the UCT Program under the TRAIN Law.
“Out of the 1.7 million validated beneficiaries under the Listahanan, 600,000 will receive their UCT grants by the end of July,” Villar said.
“As early as March 5, we have provided the approved list of some 4.1 million UCT beneficiaries to Land Bank for payout,” she added.