President Benigno Aquino III and members of his cabinet join the family of the late DILG Sec. Jesse Robredo in commemorating the 3rd anniversary of his death. MARLON RAMOS/PHILIPPINE DAILY INQUIRER
Help the candidate who is willing to continue the conditional cash transfer (CCT) program. That was President Benigno Aquino III’s request to a young girl who asked him about the prospects of the Pantawid Pamilyang Pilipino Program (4Ps) after his term ends next year.
After giving his speech commemorating the life and death of the late Interior Secretary Jesse Robredo, Aquino allowed Naga City residents to ask him questions.
A shy young girl named Geraldine Tapalye approached the microphone and said she was a beneficiary of the 4Ps. She asked Aquino how they would be able to ensure the continuation of the program.
“Kung gusto mong magpatuloy ang 4Ps, tulungan mo ‘yung tutulong na magpapatuloy ng 4Ps,” Aquino said.
(If you want 4Ps to continue, help the person who will vow to ensure the continuation of the 4Ps.)
Aquino told his audience that there are already candidates for the 2016 elections who have expressed their support for CCT.
“Meron hong nagsasabing itutuloy ‘yung Pantawid Pamilya. Merong tumutuligsa sa Pantawid Pamilya. Meron pa ngang nagsasabing maraming leakage pero nakalimutan ko lang sabihin na iba ang nagpapatakbo ng programa nung sinabi nilang may leak,” he said.
(There are those saying that they will continue the 4Ps. There are also those criticizing it. And there are others claiming that there is a leakage, although the said leakage happened under another administration.)
Aquino told the girl that candidates would soon present their platforms to the public.
“Suriin nyo ang plataporma (Examine their platforms),” he explained.
Aquino did not name candidates although he has already endorsed Interior Secretary Manuel “Mar” Roxas II as the Liberal Party standard bearer. On the other hand, Vice President Jejomar Binay has broken ties with the administration and has been criticizing its programs. Binay is the standard bearer of the opposition party United Nationalist Alliance.
The President explained that the concept behind the 4Ps was simple: keep your child in school and the government will give you a stipend.
The 4Ps is a form of social protection program that was first implemented under the term of former president and now Pampanga Representative Gloria Macapagal-Arroyo.
Aquino said that from 800,000 beneficiary families, the program now covers 4.4 million families.
He said more than P260 billion has been allotted by his administration for the implementation of the 4Ps during the last five years.
The President proudly recalled that of the 300,000 students who graduated from high school under the CCT program, 13,000 were honour students.
Two of the graduates he met will be taking up civil engineering.
Aquino said without the 4Ps, the students might not have been able to finish high school and enter college. He added that entering college allows young Filipinos to bag better jobs instead of having limited opportunities such as applying for menial jobs.