The Field Office IX through the National Household Targeting Unit (NHTU) is currently preparing for the validation and updating of the Listahanan 2 poor households as potential beneficiaries of the Unconditional Cash Transfer (UCT) program.

“As of now, we are in need of field workers to be deployed throughout the region for the upcoming special validation of Listahanan. Particularly, the hiring process is already being initiated by the Human Resource and Development Division (HRDD) since the authority to hire was already released yesterday,” said Michel DS. Mustafa, Regional Field Coordinator (RFC) of NHTU.

The NHTU is also closely coordinating with Local Government Units (LGUs) for the upcoming validation.  “Before the actual validation, we will be conducting an orientation for all the LGUs concerned and a separate orientation for our field staff,” added Mustafa.

The DSWD is mandated to implement the UCT scheme for three years as stipulated in the Tax Reform for Acceleration and Inclusion (TRAIN) Law which was signed last year by President Rodrigo Duterte. The department through its field offices will release P2,400 (P200 per month) in 2018 and a total of P3,600 (P300 per month) in 2019 and 2020 respectively. The recipients of the program include the current 4.4 million beneficiaries of the Pantawid Pamilyang Pilipino Program (4Ps), 3 million indigent social pensioners, and 2.6 million households which will come from Listahanan through the upcoming validation.

The activity is expected to begin on the first week of April and may conclude on May 30, 2018. There are 147,498 target households for validation in Zamboanga Peninsula.

Meanwhile, the UCT program aims to help the poor adjust with the adverse economic effect of the TRAIN Law. “The Field Office IX through our unit will implement the said activity to ensure that those who will be part of the program will really come from the poorest of the poor,” ended Mustafa. ###