Photo courtesy of DSWD-7/INQUIRER.net
MANILA, Philippines – The P110 billion earmarked for government dole, called “ayuda” in Filipino, will be insufficient for its conditional cash grant program to beneficiary households next year, said the Department of Social Welfare and Development (DSWD).
DSWD Assistant Secretary and spokesperson Romel Lopez on Tuesday said they have yet to clarify if the P110 billion budget for ayuda will be for the government’s Pantawid Pamilyang Pilipino Program (4Ps) or for all other forms of government benefits.
“Ang magiging problema natin diyan, kakapusin pa po ito sa ating beneficiaries ng 4Ps dahil ang budget po natin diyan para sa ating 4.4 million beneficiaries ng 4Ps ay P115.6 billion. So kung ito po, talagang kapos po ito,” Lopez said over ABS-CBN News’ Kabayan.
(But the problem with that is, it won’t be enough for our 4.4 million 4Ps beneficiaries because our budget for them is at P115.6 billion. So if this is it then, our resources will be scarce.)
Senator Juan Edgardo Angara, chair of the Senate finance committee, earlier said that from over P300 billion in the previous year, the ayuda budget may only stand at P110 billion for 2023.
READ: ‘Ayuda’ to poor a lot smaller in 2023
“Kung ito po ay final na, ito ay magiging malaking hamon po para sa DSWD at siyempre po, sa ating mga beneficiary,” Lopez said, noting that this budget cut will not decrease the amount to be given to 4Ps beneficiaries but instead, lead to a dip in the total families accommodated under the program.
(If this is final, this will pose a huge challenge to the DSWD and of course, our beneficiaries, too.)
He said, however, that the DSWD will remain compliant with the budget granted to them by the national government.
“Given na ito’y para sa 4Ps beneficiaries, ang implikasyon po nito ay iyong mga ga-graduate [na pamilya sa 4Ps], baka lumiit po iyong numero. Mabawasan ng bahagya iyong 4Ps beneficiaries,” Lopez explained.
(Given that this is for the 4Ps beneficiaries, the implication is that the number of families who will graduate from the program may slightly decrease.)
The DSWD has yet to release the standing number of 4Ps beneficiaries as it previously bared its plans to take off about 1.3 million from the 4.4 million households receiving conditional cash grants under the 4Ps.
READ: 1.3 million families taken off 4Ps: ‘Grads’ from utter poverty
To recall, DSWD Secretary Erwin Tulfo earlier said that about 30 percent of those initially deemed as “non-poor families” may still be saved from being delisted from the 4Ps program.