For over five months of delay, the release of the Period 3-5 (June-November) cash grants for Pantawid Pamilyang Pilipino Program beneficiaries is set this February.

This has been confirmed by the Department of Social Welfare and Development through the assistance of the Landbank of the Philippines.

The delay has been a result of the conversion of over-the-counter mode of payment to new account cash cards (ATM cards). As a requirement for crediting the grants, the Central Office waited for the list of card numbers to match the names of the beneficiaries in their accounts.The process of re-carding was also done to the old card holders.

The beneficiaries whose previous mode of payment was OTC have received their new EMV-enabled cards starting late last year. EMV which stands for Europay, Mastercard and Visa is a global standard for cards equipped with computer chips and the technology used to authenticate chip-card transactions.

OIC-Regional Director Mita Chuchi Gupana-Lim informed the Provincial Operations Office to “remind the beneficiaries that their EMV cash cards must be activated within two weeks after receipt to avoid expiration.”

“If the beneficiaries have no physical cards due to special character error in their account names, they can withdraw their grants through over-the-counter at any Landbank servicing branches,” she added.

Furthermore, the old cash card holders will receive their Period 6 (December-January) grants through their old magnetic stripe cards in March. However, those who have replaced their cards due to reasons of damage, loss, change of grantee, and request for account numbers matching, may withdraw it in their new EMV cash cards in the same month.

This year, it is expected that around 181,000 beneficiaries in Caraga Region shall receive the new EMV cash cards. ###(JOANA RICA P. MILLAMA/Social Marketing Section/DSWD Field Office Caraga)