P10-B Palace fund kitty for 2010 polls?
By Delfin Mallari Jr.
Philippine Daily Inquirer
First Posted 01:27:00 12/30/2008
Filed Under: Poverty, Eleksyon 2010, Regional authorities
LUCENA CITY – A militant fishermen’s group raised suspicions a P10 billion fund purportedly for pro-poor programs would end up as campaign kitty for Arroyo administration candidates in 2010.
Fernando Hicap, chair of the Pambansang Lakas ng Kilusang Mamalakaya ng Pilipinas (Pamalakaya), said in a statement that allies of President Macapagal Arroyo were sure to play key roles in dispensing with the funds that would give them “immediate exposure to millions of poor voters.”
Last week, Malacañang announced that the P5 billion allocation for the government’s pro-poor subsidy, through the “Pantawid Pamilya Program,” will be raised to P10 billion next year in an effort to soften the impact of the global economic crisis on poor Filipino families.
Under the program, a household that has three children in school will receive a grant of P1,400 a month, P500 for health and P300 each for 10 months for each child in school, daycare or high school or up to a maximum of three children.
The DSWD received the biggest slice of the pie among all departments in the P1.4-trillion 2009 national budget.
Calling the budget a dole-out fund, Hicap said the government could instead use the P10 billion for job creation.
He said by investing P50,000 per job, the government could create additional 200,000 jobs in 20 of the country’s poorest provinces.
“The people need food and jobs, decent housing and social services, not these dime-a-dozen charity work from the government,” Hicap said.
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