AFTER postponing the April payout, the Department of Social Welfare and Development (DSWD) in Northern Mindanao re-scheduled the over-the-counter payout to the Pantawid Pamilyang Pilipino Program (4Ps) beneficiaries anew this May 15.
DSWD Regional Director Nestor Ramos said some 185,000 households across the region have yet to receive their cash grants worth for 2 months. The region has over 200,000 4Ps beneficiaries.
Ramos, on Wednesday, May 2, said the delay of the conditional cash transfer payout is due to the arduous process, especially with the simultaneous release of the unconditional cash transfer, a new mechanism of the department which adds to P200 cash grant, in the wake of the Tax Reform for Acceleration and Inclusion or Train law implementation.
While payouts for 4Ps beneficiaries is unhampered, Ramos said the over-the-counter payouts is affected, especially as conduits of the Land Bank of the Philippines are asking for additional bank charges or fee with the release of the unconditional cash transfer.
But Ramos assured that the "bureaucracy" problem will be over and fixed come May 15.
"Sa May 15 mobayad ta, either kadto lang sa conditional cash transfer or with the unconditional cash transfer amount kay ang kwarta nga gibaba sa amoa walay corresponding service fee (On May 15, we will pay, either we will release the conditional cash transfer first or the unconditional cash transfer, because the amount that is transferred to us has no corresponding service fee)," he said.
Ramos also vowed that this is the last time the department will encounter such problem as Land Bank promises to provide cash cards to the remaining 185,000 households so that payouts will be unhampered.
The cash cards will be distributed by third quarter of this year or at the onset of year 2019.
"We inform the public that the bureaucratic process that we have to observe is the cause of the delay because we are dealing with taxpayers’ money," Ramos said.
The 4Ps program 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 to 18.