TACLOBAN CITY– The regional office of the Department of Social Welfare and Development (DSWD) is targeting to complete the pay out of social pensioners under the its unconditional cash transfer (UCT) program by the end of this month.
The distribution of UCT to social pension beneficiaries is a government intervention after implementing the Tax Reform for Acceleration and Inclusion or TRAIN Law that affects fuel prices triggering for the increase of prices of basic commodities.
Each social pensioners will be receiving additional P200 cash grant every month.
DSWD Regional Director Restituto Macuto said that the simultaneous pay-out started last Friday (July 20) and will end on July 31.
However, this target may be extended considering the large number of beneficiaries that are expected to receive the cash grant.
The request of local chief executives to bring the pay-out in their respective localities is also a problem considering that Landbank of the Philippines has only 15 branches in the region covering its seven cities and 136 municipalities.
Macuto said that lack of Land Bank outlets was the reason why they were not able to meet the original deadline, which is this month, in the distribution of the UCT.
He added that bank personnel could not also handle the influx of beneficiaries going to their bank during banking hours.
Here in the city, a total of 4,902 social pensioners are to receive the cash grant from the DSWD which will be divided into two batches, half of the total beneficiaries will receive the cash grant that is to be distributed at Balyuan Park in the morning while the remaining half receive their share in the afternoon.
Macuto said they consider the conditions of the social pensioners who have delicate conditions and may not be able to withstand severe weather and standing for hours reason why they have to do it at the Balyuan Park.
Macuto added that aside from the UCT for social pensioners, beneficiaries of the Pantawid Pamilyang Pilipino Program will also receive additional P200 a month.
(ROEL T. AMAZONA)
