Thursday, May 19, 2011
THE Department of Social Welfare and Development (DSWD) is seeking additional funds for its conditional cash transfer (CCT) program that has been dubbed by several groups and legislators as "dole-outs".
In a recent hearing at the House committee on appropriations, DSWD Secretary Dinky Soliman reported that P23.3 billion is needed for the program's 2.3 million beneficiary households.
The said amount is P1.4 billion higher than the amount allocated for the program under the General Appropriations Act (GAA) of 2011.
"'Yung budget po ng CCT ay P21 billion sa GAA, sa general appropriations, pero nag-usap na si Secretary Dinky Soliman at saka si Secretary Butch Abad kasi ang kailangan nilang pondo ay P23 billion so nadagdagan," presidential spokesperson Edwin Lacierda told reporters earlier this week.
Lacierda was referring to Budget Secretary Florencio "Butch" Abad.
When sought for comment, Abad told Sun.Star that the DSWD has "not yet, at least officially" requested additional funding.
"I will have to review their accomplishment report. Secretary Dinky said to-date, DSWD is at 92 percent which is quite good; but we need to review the report. Funding is available but request has to be justified and approved by the President," Abad said in a text message.
Around 1.4 million poor households have already benefited from the cash transfers, a program which was started under the administration of former President Gloria Macapagal-Arroyo.
The Aquino government pursued the CCT under the Pantawid Pamilyang Pilipino Program (4Ps) targeting more poor households. The program allowed a 123-percent increase of the DSWD's budget from 2010 to 2011.
Zambales Representative Mitos Magsaysay, who strongly opposed the huge budget for the DSWD, said she does not see the need for an additional funding when the number of beneficiaries did not increase.
Kabataan party-list Representative Raymond Palatino added that Secretary Soliman should first report how the P21.9-billion funds were used, and provide a review and assessment of the impact of the CCT program.
"(The government should) give long-term solutions to poverty not band-aid, unimaginative programs," he told Sun.Star in a text message.