Over 46,000 members of the Pantawid Pamilyang Pilipino Program (4Ps) in the Ilocos region are facing difficulties in accessing their benefits due to the lack of automated teller machine (ATM) cards.

Wilfredo Garcia, a pedicab driver, has eight children who are all attending elementary and high school in Mangaldan, Pangasinan.

He said supporting their education and daily household expenses, including food, is a significant challenge for him. Being a beneficiary of the 4Ps program greatly helps him in providing for his children’s education reportedly - if only accessing the benefit is easy.

Garcia said he does not have an ATM card to withdraw his benefits. Instead, he needs to obtain a withdrawal slip to access his money at the bank.

According to the Department of Social Welfare and Development (DSWD) Region 1, there are 4,817 beneficiaries of 4Ps in Mangaldan, and out of these, 1,781 still don’t have ATM cards. 

“Pina-process naman po, I think nagkaroon ng challenge ‘yung pag-produce ng card dahil, I think, ang supplier natin ay naapektuhan ng digmaan sa Ukraine at Russia,” Marie Angela Gopalan, Director of DSWD-1, said.

Despite the lack of ATM cards for some beneficiaries, the DSWD said cash grants are being distributed without delays or issues.