1,608 beneficiaries in Dumaguete get cash assistance from DSWD

CEBU, Philippines —  The Department of Social Welfare and Development (DSWD) last Tuesday distributed cash assistance to each of the 1,608 beneficiaries in Dumaguete City under the Unconditional Cash Transfer (UCT) program of the government.

The payout was held at the Tinago covered court where the beneficiaries receive P2,400 each or a total of P3.85 million from Land Bank who set up desks inside the gym for convenience of the recipients.

Reggie Locsin, social welfare officer III of the Pantawid Program in Negros Oriental said UCT is aimed at reducing poverty by providing welfare programs without any condition.

Locsin said the UCT of P200 a month or P2,400 per household in a year will be increased to P300 a month or P3,600 yearly for the remaining two years of its implementation.

During the Tuesday payout, a number of complaints were received from others who claimed their names were not on the list. Locsin explained the names were taken from the Listahanan or survey conducted in 2009 and 2015 where DSWD fielded enumerators for the data base survey.

Most likely, those who were not in the list could be out of their residences when the survey was conducted, some may have refused the interview, or simply ignore them, not knowing that it was for the purpose of extending assistance in the future.

For those who are in the list but failed to receive the amount in today’s payout due to some reasons, will be rescheduled in another setting, she said.

Heraclio Barrera of Bajumpandan said “wala ko mag-expect nga makadawat apan dako akong pasalamat nga nakahuna-huna si Presidente Duterte niini nga programa alang kanamo nga mga kabus og timawa, dako na kaayo ning tabang bisan kausa sa usa ka tuig.”