THE government began distributing cash subsidy for the poor on Wednesday, June 29, under the Targeted Cash Transfer (TCT) Program.

The first tranche, amounting to P1,000, or two months’ worth of subsidies, was distributed to around 1.2 million household recipients who already had cash cards.

The TCT initiative, which was introduced earlier this year by President Rodrigo Duterte, attempts to lessen the effects of the increased price of fuel and other commodities. The bottom 50 percent of Filipino families across the nation are the program’s intended beneficiaries.

The JMC outlines the standards for carrying out the TCT program. It was jointly signed by the Department of Social Welfare and

Development (DSWD), Department of Finance, Department of Budget and Management, and National Economic and Development Authority.

According to the guidelines, “an estimated 12.4 million household beneficiaries are receiving cash grants of P3,000, or P500 per month for six months, from the Duterte government through the Department of Social Welfare and Development.”

The beneficiaries are made up of 2.4 million households in the Listahanan database that are in the first to fifth income decile, 4 million households under the Pantawid Pamilyang Pilipino Program (4Ps), 6 million non4Ps households, and individuals who were previously recipients of the Unconditional Cash Transfer Program from 2018 to 2020 under the Tax Reform for Acceleration and Inclusion Law, as stated by the department.

The Land Bank of the Philippines, which is disbursing the cash subsidy via its cash cards and through other banks, electronic money issuers, or remittance centers, receives the list of beneficiaries from the DSWD.