Del Mar confident Aquino will sign Magna Carta for the Poor

The 15th Congress passed the Magna Carta for the Poor on the final day of their session before the campaign period.

The landmark legislation defines the basic rights of the poor, such as their right to food – an often contentious issue in human rights conventions.

The law also recognizes the right of the poor to employment and livelihood, to quality education, to shelter and to basic services and medicine.

Cebu City north district Rep. Rachel “Cutie” Del Mar, one of the bill’s authors, said the measure would strengthen President Benigno Simeon Aquino III’s pro-poor agenda.

“The administration has already achieved a modicum of success with its efforts to uplift the lives of the poor. This bill institutionalizes as well as expands the delivery of basic services to the poor,” said del Mar.

The Magna Carta for the Poor would institutionalize existing anti-poverty programs of the government, including the Pangtawid Pamilyang Pilipino Program (4Ps) or the Conditional Cash Transfer .

The 4Ps program of the Department of Social Welfare and Development (DSWD) seeks to help 3.5 million poor households with a budget of P44-billion this year.

Sen. Francis Pangilinan, head of the Senate committee on social justice, welfare and rural development, authored the bill’s senate version.

The bill wil be sent to President Aquino for his signature.

Del Mar said she is confident of the president’s signature.

“This is a milestone in legislation. With this law, the poor will now be able to demand that government provide jobs, employment and a basic living wage,” said del Mar.

The Magna Carta for the Poor Bill describes the poor as those whose income falls below the poverty threshold defined by National Economic Development Authority and the National Anti-Poverty Commission.

Under the approved bill, government is tasked to ensure adequate and decent employment and living wage for the basic sector workers, farmers-peasants, artisanal fisherfolk, and other indigents.

The DSWD will expand a subsidy program to help the poor meet their minimum food necessities as well as issue food certificates to enable the poor to obtain food items from stores duly accredited by the Department of Trade and Industry (DTI).

Government implementing agencies are also allowed to accredit development partners like non-government organizations, people’s organizations and private corporations, which shall also be authorized to accept donations, aids or grants, in cash or in kind from duly accredited sources, to meet the demands of the basic rights of the poor.

Donations made to the sponsored program will be exempt from donor’s tax and will be considered as allowable deduction from the gross income in the computation of the income tax of the donor.

Co-authors of the bill include Reps. Ben Evardone (Eastern Samar), Marcelino Teodoro (Marikina City), Rodante Marcoleta (Alagad party-list) and Peter Unabia (Misamis Oriental).