MARAWI CITY, Lanao del Sur, Jan. 6 (PIA)
-- The Department of Social Welfare and Development in the Autonomous
Region in Muslim Mindanao (DSWD-ARMM) resumes the payout of cash grants to
beneficiaries of the Pantawid Pamilyang Pilipino Program (4Ps) in Maguindanao
after months of delay.
The release of payout for Period 6
covering the months November-December in 2012 and for the same period in 2014
to 22 towns of Maguindanao will start on Thursday, January 7.
Towns in Maguindanao’s first
district where qualified beneficiaries would soon receive cash grants are
Barira, Matanog, Parang, Datu Blah Sinsuat, Upi, Sultan Mastura, Sultan
Kudarat, North Kabuntalan, South Upi, Mother Kabuntalan, and Datu Odin Sinsuat
(Dinaig).
Those in the second district are
as follows: Datu Hoffer, Shariff Saydona, Datu Unsay, Datu Saudi,
Datu Piang, Datu Anggal Midtimbang, Guindulungan, Talayan, Talitay,
Pagalungan, and Pagagawan.
Rahima Datumanong Alba, DSWD-ARMM office-in
charge, said the delay of the payment of grants for unpaid periods started when
conduit Globe Exchange Inc. (GXI) failed to replenish the fund from the
previous payouts to its merchant partner Loaded Marketing.
She explained that before the
suspension of the payout in October 2015, the DSWD, through conduits GXI and
Loaded Marketing, was paying Period 5 (September-October) and Period 6
(November-December) of 2014 as well as unpaid grants starting Period 6 of 2012.
Based on DSWD-ARMM data, GXI has
previously released a total of P373,852,600 cash grants to 120,286
beneficiaries in Maguindanao.
The Land Bank of the Philippines serves as
the sole authorized disbursement agent of the DSWD for the nationwide
distribution of cash grants. It also authorized money transfer agents to
deliver the grants.
The choice of conduits went
through a bidding process undertaken by the Landbank Head Office Bids and
Awards Committee.
4Ps is the national government’s
flagship poverty alleviation initiative, providing grants to the poorest
households in order to improve health, nutrition and education of children.
The cash grants comprise P500 per
month per household for health and nutrition expenses and P300 per child each
month for educational expenses. Households with three qualified children would
receive P1,400 monthly.
Sec. Alba said DSWD-ARMM closely monitors
the distribution of cash grants to the beneficiaries across the
region. (BPI/PIA-10)
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