Gov’t distributes cash grants to senior citizens in 3 Luzon regions

The government conducted a simultaneous payout of cash subsidy to elderly beneficiaries in three regions in Luzon last weekend in a bid to help them cushion the impact of the Tax Reform for Acceleration and Inclusion (TRAIN) Law.

The Department of Social Welfare and Development (DSWD) led the distribution of R2,400 cash grant for each senior-beneficiary in 26 towns in Central Luzon (Region 3) and Southern Luzon (Regions 4-A and 4-B). The Department hopes to complete the distribution of the unconditional cash transfer grants to social pensioners this July.

The UCT is the tax subsidy provided under the TRAIN law to help the poor cushion the adverse economic effect of the policy. It is considered to be the biggest tax reform mitigation program under the TRAIN law which seeks to provide 10 million beneficiaries with cash subsidies amounting to R200 a month for 2018; and P300 a month for 2019 and 2020.

Under the TRAIN law, the total number of Filipino households and individuals who will receive the UCT is 10 million — 4.4 million members of the Pantawid Pamilyang Pilipino Program (4Ps); 3 million senior citizen-beneficiaries of the Social Pension Program; and 2.6 million households from the DSWD’s Listahanan.

“The Department is currently fasttracking the processing of the pay-out for the senior citizens. As promised we are accelerating our schedule to help alleviate the temporary discomfort as our country adjusts our tax system towards a more equitable distribution of wealth,” DSWD Acting Secretary Virginia Orogo said.

“Rest assured that we are doing our best, as well as our partner stakeholders, to provide the UCT cash grants to the beneficiaries the soonest possible. We know the importance of the cash grant to our poor fellowmen, especially as prices of basic commodities have recently increased,” she added.

She said that Land Bank has already committed to provide cash cards to the beneficiaries within the year in order to prepare for a smoother implementation of the UCT cash grant in 2019.