Senate leaders on Tuesday, March 22 supported the decision of President Duterte to increase the P200 monthly ‘ayuda’ (financial assistance) to needy families.
Presidential candidate Senator Panfilo M. Lacson said the P200 monthly ‘ayuda’ is ‘’pathetically too little’ and P500 is still not enough but definitely better.
‘’That said, we must also take into consideration the fiscal position of the national government which is yet to recover from two years of lockdowns and intermittent business inactivity, further aggravated by Russia’s invasion of Ukraine,’’ Lacson, Partido Reporma standard bearer, said in his Viber account.
‘’He (president) said yesterday it was not enough and asked Sec (Secretary Carlos “Sonny”) Dominguez (III) in front of us if govt (government) can afford 500. Government can afford daw po {can government afford it?) I think so, Sec (Secretary) Sonny agreed, Senate President Vicente ‘’Tito’’ C. Sotto III replied to Senate reporters’ queries on the issue.
Senate President Pro Tempore Ralph G. Recto said he favors the President’s decision.
‘'Yes am in favor if increasing financial assistance to families who need it most. But let’s not over tax the middle class,’’ he pointed out.
Yesterday, President Duterte said he already ordered Dominguez to increase the amount of monthly subsidy for poor families from P200 to P500 per household rather than suspending the collection of excise tax amid rising oil prices
During his speech in Malacañang yesterday (March 21), the President said the P200 cash aid proposed by the DOF which he earlier approved to cushion the effects of increasing fuel costs on poor families is “too small” which could not sustain even a family of three.