Realign the alleged P9.3-billion confidential and intelligence funds (CIF) in the proposed 2023 national budget into cash assistance or "ayuda" to poor Filipino families.

ACT Teachers party-list Rep. France Castro made this appeal to the House of Representatives and Senate members Sunday, Nov. 27, even as the Makabayan bloc continued to pursue its proposed P10,000 cash aid per family.

"If all the P9.3 billion would be realigned to ayuda and P10,000 is to be per poor family then at least 930,000 familes or 4,650,000 poor Filipinos would benefit from it," Castro said.

"If half of it would be realigned then 465,000 families would get P10,000 and 2,325,000 individuals would benefit," noted the teacher solon.

The Makabayan bloc had earlier asked President Ferdinand "Bongbong" Marcos Jr. to provide poor Filipinos with a one-time ayuda of P10,000 in order to help them cope with the effects of fast inflation such as the rising prices of basic goods.

Incidentally, the House and Senate began the Bicameral Conference Committee meeting on the disagreeing provisions of the proposed P5.268-trillion national budget or General Appropriations Bill (GAB) for 2023 last Friday.

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The finalized GAB, to be signed into law by Marcos next month, will be produced during the series of meetings.

"The P152 million CIF realigned by the Senate is a good start but this is far from enough. Mas malaking halaga ang dapat na kagyat na pakinabangan ng ating mga naghihirap na kababayan dahil sa taas ng implasyon, mababang sahod at kakulangan ng trabaho at ayuda (A bigger amount should immediately be used for the benefit of our countrymen who have been suffering from high inflation, low wages, and the lack of jobs and assistance)," Castro said.