Sen. Paolo Benigno “Bam” Aquino IV. INQUIRER FILE PHOTO / RICHARD A. REYES
The Department of Social Welfare and Development (DSWD) should investigate whether the “poorest of the poor families are benefiting” from the government’s Pantawid Pamilyang Pilipino Program (4Ps), Senator Bam Aquino urged Monday.
Aquino made the call after the Commission on Audit (COA) reported that around P1.3 billion were left unclaimed by 1.9 million individual beneficiaries in 2017.
Citing COA’s audit report, Aquino noted that the lapse of time that beneficiaries failed to claim their grants showed they were not in severe need of the subsidy as it also cast doubt on the eligibility of the listed beneficiaries.
“Sa totoo lang, imoral iyong may pondo pero hindi naibabahagi sa mga kababayan nating naghihirap,” Aquino, who plans to file a resolution to ensure the poorest of the poor benefit from the 4Ps program, said in a statement.
The senator then suggested DSWD to review its list of beneficiaries under the 4Ps program “to make sure that they belong to the poorest of the poor or are really in need of government assistance.”
“Hindi tama na nakatengga lang ang pondo para sa tulong habang nalulunod na ang marami sa taas-presyo. Sayang naman ang pondo na maaaring pakinabangan ng iba pa nating mahihirap na kabababayan,” Aquino pointed out.
Further, Aquino renewed his call for government to fully implement the social mitigating measures under the Tax Reform for Acceleration and Inclusion (TRAIN) Law.
As of now, he said, the government has yet to complete the rollout of the unconditional cash transfer (UCT) program for poor Filipino families as well as the Pantawid Pasada Program, which aims to help jeepney operators and drivers cope with soaring fuel prices.
The lawmaker earlier filed Senate Bill No. 1798 or the “Bawas Presyo Bill” to allow fuel price roll back and suspension of excise tax on fuel under the Train Law when average inflation surpasses the annual inflation target over a three-month period. /kga