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With the distribution of EMV-enabled cash cards to Pantawid Pamilya beneficiaries, the Department of Social Welfare and Development (DSWD) anticipates that there will no longer be OTC or Over-The-Counter payouts for Pantawid beneficiaries.

  • 4Ps beneficiaries were gathered in LandBank Main Office for the distribution and activation of cash cards.

The grants of the beneficiaries will automatically be downloaded in their cash cards which can be used for withdrawal or swipe in stores.

As of May 31, the DSWD has already distributed a total of 140,958 EMV-enabled cash cards out of the 307,833 beneficiaries in region 9. The remaining 166,875 beneficiaries are to be scheduled to claim their cash cards in the next weekends.

Pantawid Pamilya Regional Program Coordinator, Ms. Flordeliza Alar-Atuy, said that the conversion of the payout scheme from OTC to cash cards will hasten the payout system and make it more convenient for beneficiaries to claim their grants from the bank.

“They can now withdraw their grants in their convenient time. If they have ATM near their area, they need not go to payout venues and spend extra money for fare,” Atuy said.

The conversion of beneficiaries to cash card holders is expected to be completed by 3rd quarter of this year.

With this payout scheme, the department also advises the beneficiaries to withdraw their grants in full amount as the cash cards do not serve in the same purpose as a savings account.

Pantawid Pamilya is a social protection program of the national government that invests in the health and education of poor households primarily of children aged 0-18 and pregnant women. Program beneficiaries receive cash grants as they comply with the program conditions applicable to their households. The conditions are: pregnant women must avail pre and post-natal care and be attended during childbirth by a trained health professional; parents must attend Family Development Sessions (FDS); 0-5 years old children must receive regular preventive health check-ups and vaccines; 6-14 years old children must receive deworming pills twice a year; and children beneficiaries (0-18 years old) must enroll in school and maintain a class attendance of at least 85% per month. As of May 2018, there are 4.39 million active households in the program nationwide.