GENERAL SANTOS CITY — The Department of Social Welfare and Development (DSWD) in Region 12 is targeting to cover around 432,000 poor households for the subsidy program in line with the implementation of Tax Reform for Acceleration and Inclusion or TRAIN Law.
Bai Zorahayda Taha, DSWD Region 12 director, said Wednesday they are set to launch a series of validations to properly determine the qualified beneficiaries for the initiative, which is dubbed unconditional cash transfer (UCT) program.
She said they were tasked to lead the validation and implementation of the program in parts of Region 12 and in the provinces of Lanao del Sur and Maguindanao in the Autonomous Region in Muslim Mindanao (ARMM).
Also known as Soccsksargen, Region 12 covers the provinces of South Cotabato, Sultan Kudarat, Sarangani and North Cotabato, and the cities of General Santos, Koronadal, Tacurong, Kidapawan and Cotabato.
“After the actual validation, we will release the list of beneficiaries and endorse them for the subsidy,” Taha said.
The official said the validation would be based on the current database of the agency’s “Listahanan” survey or National Household Targeting System for Poverty Reduction.
She said it would cover at total of 197,149 poor households in Region 12 and 235,326 in the ARMM.
In Region 12, the validation will involve 73, 315 households in North Cotabato, 44,583 in South Cotabato, 43,932 in Sultan Kudarat, 27,253 in Sarangani and 8,066 in Cotabato City.
A total of 121,654 households will undergo validation in Lanao del Sur, including Marawi City, and 113,672 in Maguindanao.
Sohra Guialel, DSWD-12’s policy and plans division chief, said they would hire some 1,441 validators, 125 administrative assistants and 72 encoders to facilitate the validation process.
She said they would complement with the agency’s workforce and would be deployed in different areas to conduct house-to-house validation of the potential UCT beneficiaries.
The subsidy program was set by the national government to assist poor households that might be affected by the implementation of the Train Law.
Beneficiaries will receive monthly subsidies in the next three years, starting with P2,400 or P200 per month in 2018 and P3,600 or P300 per month in 2019 and in 2020.(PNA)
