MANILA — An official of the Department of Social Welfare and Development (DSWD) on Tuesday said the agency started to provide the Unconditional Cash Transfer (UCT) grants on one-time basis instead of releasing them monthly.
DSWD Officer-In-Charge Emmanuel Leyco said the UCT grant worth PHP200 each for the poor recipients previously released monthly would be released one time for the entire year, enabling a beneficiary to withdraw the total of PHP2,400 in one time transaction.
UCT cash grants are provided under the TRAIN (Tax Reform for Acceleration and Inclusion) law.
“Para di na sila maghihintay. So ngayon pa lang, Marso makakakuha na sila ng kabuuan para sa taong 2018,” Leyco told the Philippine News Agency (PNA) as beneficiaries started to withdraw the cash from the Automated Teller Machine of Land Bank of the Philippines (LBP) at the DSWD Central Office in Batasan Hills, Quezon City.
Leyco added that they decided to give said cash grants for the whole year to give the beneficiaries the chance to maximize its use, avoiding the possibility of pawning their cash cards or ATM card.
“Pwede na nilang gamitin ito kung anuman ang kanilang dapat pagkagastusan,” he said.
He said the recipients could also use the grant as a capital to start a small business, such as sari-sari store.
Government has estimated that there will be 10 million poor households that would benefit from the TRAIN law.
The 10 million recipients include 4.4 million beneficiaries of 4Ps program; 2.6 million indigent senior citizen beneficiaries; and the remaining 3 million will be coming from the DSWD’s Listahanan program.
Initially, the recipients of 4Ps who already have their existing ATMs have began receiving the cash grant.
Others who have no cash cards will soon receive their UCT grants over the counter transactions of other financial conduits of DSWD. (Leilani Junio/PNA)
