DAVAO CITY–University of the Philippines professor and activist Judy Taguiwalo on Tuesday said it is time for her to move on from street rallies to be part of government to enact change.
In an interview after president-elect Rodrigo Duterte announced her appointment as Department of Social Work and Development (DSWD) Secretary, Taguiwalo said she is actually proud of being tagged as a progressive handpicked by Duterte to be be part of his Cabinet.
“I’m proud to be tagged as a progressive. I don’t think it’s something to be ashamed of. That means hindi ako naging kurap (I had not been corrupt),” Taguiwalo said.
Taguiwalo said she has decided to move on from engaging in mass demonstrations and join government to serve from inside the administration’s Cabinet.
“Sabi ko sa kapatid ko na nasa abroad, nung tinanong ko sabi sa akin ‘Day, ang tagal tagal na ninyong nagma-martsa sa kalsada para sa pagbabago. Very minimal resources, ito ngayon yung space na pwede kayo, so why not accept it?’ Yun ang aking idea and I hope matulungan ako ng ibang mamamayan na gusto talaga gamitin ang pwesto hindi dahil may political ambition ka kundi makatulong sa ating mga mamamayan,” she added.
(I told my siblings abroad when they asked me “Sister, you had been marching in the streets for change for long with very minimal resources, this is now the space [where you can work for change], so why not accept it?” That’s my idea and I hope that others, and to use the position not for political ambition but to help our countrymen.)
Incoming Social Welfare Secretary Judy Taguiwalo on Tuesday said she won’t stop the Pantawid Pamilyang Pilipino program and study the program instead to finetune its implementation. MARC JAYSON CAYABYAB/INQUIRER.net
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But she said would remain critical of the government but air her grievances in a forum different from the streets of protests.
“(I will remain critical) but the process of engagement would be different, because I’m part of government. I won’t be holding a rally in front of President Duterte’s office… I hope there will be space for me to be able to talk with him about the issues and problems,” Taguiwalo said.
Taguiwalo said she would not stop the implementation of the Pantawid Pamilyang Pilipino program (4Ps) or conditional cash transfer, the administration’s dole-out program long criticized by the Left as a stop-gap measure being politicized for election purposes.
She said she would study the implementation of the 4Ps to see to it that the dole-out program is not used for politics.
Taguiwalo said she would look into giving livelihood jobs and organizing the beneficiaries into cooperatives as a more permanent measure to alleviate poverty than giving dole-outs like cash allocations.
“Gusto ko pa pag-aralan sa ngayon. Alam kong may mga nakinabang sa 4Ps… Pero ang gusto ng iba, sa totoo lang, trabahong sustainable,” Taguiwalo said.
“We’d like to look into anong impact ng 4Ps, anong nagawa na positive… In other words, hindi ko ito ihihinto, pag-aaralan nating mabuti para matiyak ang pamilyang Pilipino hindi kailangang umasa sa allowance na makukuha nila, kundi may sapat na trabaho na matutugunan,” she added.
(I want to study it for now. I know that the 4Ps has beneficiaries…But others, honestly, want sustainable livelihood.
We’d like to look into the impact of the 4Ps, what positive effects did it have…in other words, I won’t stop it, I’ll study it thoroughly to ensure that the Filipino family won’t have to rely on the allowances they receive, but that they have a means of livelihood to depend on.)
Taguiwalo said she would still oppose the burial of the late dictator Ferdinand Marcos in the Libingan ng mga Bayani even though Duterte supported the move to allow for healing a divided country.
Duterte had also said he is friends with the Marcos dictator’s namesake son Sen. Bongbong Marcos, which was the reason he could not open up his Cabinet to vice president-elect Leni Robredo. Robredo beat Marcos in the vice presidential race.
Taguiwalo was one of the victims of martial law and was tortured and imprisoned during the Marcos regime.
She said her personal experience under martial law would not affect what could be good working relations with Duterte.
“I was arrested, I was tortured, I spent years in prison so personal kong experience yan. I’m part of the claimants sa compensation. President Duterte explained his own experience, his father is appointed (by Marcos), it’s a different experience,” Taguiwalo said.
“I don’t think he would tolerate the human rights violations that the Marcoses did because they are friends. I think he had already clarified that. Whatever differences we have about the Marcoses would be historical, would also be personal. But I don’t think it diminishes the other programs and projects that you could work on together,” she said.
Taguiwalo was one of the nominees to the Cabinet submitted by the National Democratic Front of the Philippines to Duterte. Duterte had opened his Cabinet to the left to pave the way for peace talks to resume with the Communist Party of the Philippines.
Kilusang Magbubukid ng Pilipinas chair and former Anakpawis Rep. Rafael Mariano was also nominated and chosen by Duterte to head the Department of Agrarian Reform. CDG
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