LEGAZPI CITY — The Department of Social Welfare and Development (DSWD) regional office in Bicol on Wednesday said a bank’s requested seven-day extension to download the funds to its partner conduits caused the delay in the release of conditional cash grants to poor beneficiaries in the region.
“The pay-out which was supposed to start April 17 (Tuesday) will be rescheduled on April 24,” said Glorei Lindio, DSWD coordinator of the Pantawid Pamilyang Pilipino Program (4Ps).
Lindio said the cash assistance that would be received by the beneficiaries on the re-scheduled date covers the month of January 2018, comprising the education grants of PHP500 for children in high school or PHP300 for children in elementary school, health aid amounting to PHP500, and rice subsidy of PHP600.
The Land Bank of the Philippines (LBP) downloads the funds to its partner conduits that are responsible to directly release the cash grants to 4Ps beneficiaries.
Affected 4Ps beneficiaries are the Indigenous Peoples under Modified Conditional Cash Transfer Program (MCCT) and those without Land Bank of the Philippines (LBP) cash cards and receive their grants through over-the counter pay-out.
“It also includes the assistance for the Unconditional Cash Transfer Program (UCT) amounting to PHP2,400 (PHP200 per month) for the whole year (January – December 2018),” said Lindio.
A total of 258,215 beneficiaries of 4Ps in the region are affected of the delay.
The cash assistance for the month of December 2017, April and May 2018 will be included in July 2018 pay-out.
It will be released in accordance to its scheduled pay-out but can be subject to change upon advisory of DSWD Central Office. (Connie Calipay/PNA)
