Palace: No one can question Duterte if he wants LGU out of cash aid distribution
FILE PHOTO: Presidential spokesperson Harry Roque. INQUIRER/JOAN BONDOC
MANILA, Philippines — The decision of President Rodrigo Duterte to take out a local government unit from the distribution of cash aid to its constituents cannot be questioned since the funds came from the national government, Malacañang said Tuesday.
Presidential spokesperson Harry Roque said it is the President’s prerogative to assign the distribution to the Department of the Interior and Local Government (DILG) and the Department of Social Welfare and Development (DSWD) as he sees fit.
“Kung sa tingin ng Presidente para sa mga constiuents ng lugar na ‘yun ipadaan sa DILG at DSWD, we cannot question that because that’s national funds anyway,” he said.
He noted that the taking away of a local government’s responsibility to distribute cash aid to its constituents is neither a punishment nor a breach of rights.
On whether the local government will be sanctioned for the supposed lack of organization in the cash aid distribution, he said: “We are not imposing any sanctions on anyone. Sinisiguro lang natin na hindi mangyayari ‘yung kaguluhan na nakita ni President sa larawan and that is why pinadadaan through an alternative distribution scheme. Wala tayong pinaparusahan.”
(We are not imposing any sanctions on anyone. We are only ensuring that there is no repeat of the chaos that the President saw in the photo and that is why the aid is being coursed through an alternative distribution scheme. We are not punishing anybody.)
“Wala namang inaakusa, walang parusa, so walang karapatan na nalalabag. Sinisuguro lang ng President ‘yung karapatan ng taong bayan makakuha ng ayuda para sa pinakamabuting mga pamamaraan,” he added.
(There’s no accusation, no punishment, so no rights violation. The President just wants to make sure the right of the people to get aid in the best way possible.)
He added that the DILG could, later on, initiate a probe if it deems necessary to file administrative charges to erring local government units.
In his weekly pre-recorded address to the people, Duterte said he had taken away from a city, which he did not identify, the “power to distribute” cash aid to its constituents due to its mayor’s inability to organize the distribution.
He said he had assigned the DILG and the DSWD to take over the cash assistance distribution in that city.
“There’s one city here where I ordered the DILG and the DSWD to take over the distribution of cash aid and other assistance from the national government to the LGU that does not know how to organize its distribution,” Duterte said in Filipino.
“It only results in disorder. So I took it [the responsibility] away from them [city officials] and gave it to the DILG and DSWD. You take over until they learn. This mayor knows nothing at all,” he added.
“There is one city that I will not give the power to distribute the aid,” he said again. “In so many instances, they cannot organize. It has happened several times and several times he has blamed other people other than himself.”
On Tuesday, Malacañang refused to name the “mayor” as well as the local government being talked about by Duterte.
Presidential spokesperson Harry Roque said giving such details cannot add to what the President already said.
Roque also said that “I am only a spokesperson” so if Duterte does not want to disclose the identity of the local chief executive and which local government unit (LGU) the individual belongs, “so be it.”
