Vice President Sara Duterte is not a fan of dole-outs or “ayuda,” touting good governance and peace and development programs as the better options to help uplift the lives of Filipinos from poverty.
Vice President Sara Duterte (MB file photo)
In an interview at the Office of the Vice President’s (OVP) Caraga Satellite Office in Butuan City on Wednesday, Nov. 20, the official thumbed down the idea of giving dole-outs to those seeking assistance from her office.
“Sa Office of the Vice President, wala kami ayuda. ‘Pag meron humihingi sa amin ng ayuda (In the Office of the Vice President, we don’t have dole outs. When someone asks), we usually refer to DSWD because ang prinsipyo namin, hindi dapat ayuda ang binibigay sa tao na nangangailangan (our principle is that we should not be giving dole-outs to the needy),” she said.
Instead, the Vice President identified good governance, job creation, and peace and development programs as a way to uplift the well-being of Filipinos.
“So hindi nasusolusyonan ng ayuda yung problema ng mga tao lalong lalo na sa kapos na pang araw-araw lalo na sa kawalan ng trabaho, at sa safety and security and well-being ng tao (Dole-outs will not solve the people’s problem, especially if they are lacking in terms of jobs, safety, security, and well-being),” Duterte explained.
Even when she was still mayor of Davao City, she had always endeavored to implement peace and development programs rather than dole-outs, she insisted.
However, the OVP will also give away grocery packs for their thanksgiving event in relation to the OVP’s 89th founding anniversary..
Duterte said the event is part of the tradition of Filipinos to give gifts during Christmas.
They also have a RICE box, which they provide to individuals in crisis.
“We still believe and it is our platform and it is in our budget na good governance is the key to nation building,” she stressed.
Duterte earlier admitted that some of the programs of the OVP will be impacted by the smaller budget it is expecting to receive amid the congressional inquiries into how she spent her offices’ confidential funds.