ZAMBOANGA CITY – The Department of Social Welfare and Development (DSWD) announced that a total of 642,934 individuals are set to benefit from the agency’s Unconditional Cash Transfer (UCT) program here in Region 9.
Ivan Eric Salvador, DSWD regional information officer, told the Philippine News Agency that of the total beneficiaries, 315,502 belong to the Pantawid Pamilyang Pilipino Program (4Ps), 177,934 are social pensioners and 147,498 are from the Listahanan.
Salvador said the UCT anti-poverty program will serve as an additional benefits for those who belong to the 4Ps and those who are social pensioners.
The 4Ps is a human development measure of the national government that provides conditional cash grants to the poorest of the poor, to improve the health, nutrition, and the education of children aged 0-18 while the Social Pension is the additional government assistance of P500 monthly stipend, to augment the daily subsistence and other medical needs of indigent senior citizens.
Salvador said they have yet to validate the list of the Listahanan beneficiaries while the lists of the 4Ps and socials pensioners are already completed.
The validation of the Listahanan beneficiaries will start next month. The Listahanan is an information management system that identifies who and were the poor are nationwide.
Salvador said the beneficiaries of the UCT program will receive PHP200 monthly this year. It will be released in lump sum amounting to PHP2,400.
He said they will received PHP300 monthly through the UCT program next year and in 2020.
He said the beneficiaries will be informed when they will receive the benefits under the UCT program.
He said the UCT program is an additional benefits that will be given to the identified beneficiaries brought about by the implementation of the Republic Act 10963 otherwise known as the Tax Reform for Acceleration and Inclusion (TRAIN) Law.
The TRAIN Law increases the excise tax of petroleum products, cars, softdrink, and other sweetened beverages, which affect the consumers.
“The government through the DSWD is doing its best to provide the necessary intervention to sustain the quality of life of the beneficiaries by providing them support in their needs,” Salvador said. (PNA)
