UCT beneficiaries from the towns of Boac and Mogpog line-up to claim grants in Provincial Convention Center.

BOAC, Marinduque- The Department of Social Welfare and Development (DSWD) MIMAROPA and Landbank of the Philippines have disbursed 9.5 million pesos to 3,369 Listahanan poor under the Unconditional Cash Transfer (UCT) program in this province.

UCT is the tax subsidy provided for under the Tax Reform for Acceleration and Inclusion (TRAIN) law to help the poor cushion the adverse economic impact of the law for three years, starting 2018. For this year, beneficiaries will receive P200 per month or P2,400 for one year. In 2019 and 2020, the subsidy will increase to P300 or P3,600 a year.

Listahanan is a government mechanism that identifies who and where the poor are. This database is then used for the identification and selection of potential beneficiaries for various poverty alleviation and social protection programs.

“During the three-day clustered payout in this province, UCT served 814 households in Boac; 609 in Gasan; 413 in Mogpog; 451 in Buenavista; 429 in Torrijos; and 653 in Sta. Cruz,” said DSWD Regional Director Wilma D. Naviamos.

DSWD MIMAROPA has piloted the entire process of UCT implementation from the notification, registration and payout activities in six towns of Marinduque starting August 1 to 18, 2018.  From the 3,890 total target, 611 beneficiaries were not able to claim their cash grants due to various reasons such as transfer of residence, deceased household heads and inconsistencies in the legal documents of identified beneficiaries.

“We are grateful for the unwavering support of the six local government units together with the provincial government thru the Marinduque Governor Carmencita Reyes for the successful UCT pilot program implementation. Through this pilot activities, the department will be able to polish its existing guidelines and craft new policies, directions, and strategies based on the experiences and learnings in the province of Marinduque, Director Naviamos added.

DSWD will set a new schedule of payout for those beneficiaries who have not shown to ensure that cash grants will be disbursed within the prescribed timeline.

The UCT  full implementation process for Listahanan poor households will be conducted simultaneously in the remaining four  MIMAROPA provinces starting this month. ###