Senatorial aspirant and former Quezon City mayor Herbert Bautista on Sunday called on the national government to revise its Pantawid Pamilyang Pilipino Program or 4Ps in a bid to protect poor Filipino families from increasing prices of food.
He made the appeal after data from the National Economic and Development Authority (NEDA) and Philippine Statistics Authority (PSA) showed that the continuous national food inflation is felt worse by poor families than those that are not.
"Those who have less in life, sadly, are those being hurt most by price increases, especially of food,” Bautista said.
Bautista said that aside from regular cash subsidies under the 4Ps program, the government should devise a way through which those getting 4P subsidies could buy food supplies at cheaper cost.
"Beneficiaries of 4Ps must be allowed to purchase basic food items at prices with added costs, like price increases, removed from the price tag," said Bautista, whose platform is focused on internet reforms, livelihood for all, youth protection and welfare and Pagkain Para sa Pilipino (food for all Filipinos).
Amid inflation of all foods, including meat, fruits and vegetables, the senatorial aspirant said, "those are items that are basic for everyone but because of rising costs, the burden is much heavier on the poor."