Nearly 4-M households, senior citizens yet to receive TRAIN’s unconditional cash grants

Up to 6.2-million households and indigent senior citizens have so far received their respective cash grants of P2,400 this year to help them cope with higher prices as a result of the Tax Reform for Acceleration and Inclusion (TRAIN) law, according to estimates by an official of the Department of Finance.

This means that as much as 3.8 million households and indigent senior citizens have yet to receive their cash grants, as the  TRAIN law’s mitigating measures provides for seven million of the poorest households and three million indigent senior citizens to receive unconditional cash transfers.

“It has been distributed to 6.1 million to 6.2 million [beneficiaries] as of end of August. By the end of the year, we expect a full disbursement with the passage of the National ID system law,” Finance Assistant Secretary Tony Lambino said during a forum hosted by the Presidential Communications and Operations Office on Monday.

The cash subsidies have been delayed by logistics problems and inclement weather, Lambino noted.

“Households under the 4Ps program ang mga unang nakatanggap, pero ‘yung the rest may validation process pa which took a little bit of time since ‘di sila kasama sa 4Ps at ‘yung iba nakatira sa liblib na lugar na kailangan pa mag set up ng mechanism for disbursement,” he said.

The Pantawid Pamilyang Pilipino Program (4Ps) grants cash assistance to the poorest of the poor households on condition that they meet human development goals such as preventive health check-up and vaccinations for children up to five years old, among others.

“Kaya ‘yung DSWD (Department of Social Welfare and Development) at Landbank made over the counter payments. May mga payouts kahit weekend, beyond office hours, para madisburse as fast as possible,” Lambino said.

“Yes, there has been a slow down kasi baka magkasakit rin ang ating mga senior citizens. Nagrereklamo po kasi sila, sabi nila wala muna sanang payouts pag malakas ang ulan,” he added.

The unconditional cash subsidy for beneficiaries will increase to P3,600 in 2019 and 2020 in line with the three-year staggered increase in excise taxes on fuels.

There have been calls to increase the unconditional cash transfers P500 a month or P6,000 a year, including from Vice President Maria Leonor “Leni” Robredo, but the economic managers are not amenable to it.

TRAIN lowered the personal income tax rates, but raised the excise taxes on fuel and sugar sweetened beverages starting 2018.

The National ID system allows the government to collect and store demographic data of citizens including: full name, sex, date of birth, blood type, address and status as to whether a person is a Filipino citizen or a resident alien. Biometrics data, which include photographs, full set of fingerprints, and iris scans are also part of the ID system. —VDS, GMA News