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Manila Bulletin devider Philippines devider National devider 'Cruel': Solon hits Imee Marcos for depriving 4.3M poor Pinoys of 4Ps 'ayuda' 

'Cruel': Solon hits Imee Marcos for depriving 4.3M poor Pinoys of 4Ps 'ayuda' 

Published Feb 20, 2024 09:23 am

At A Glance

  • Senator Imee Marcos is supposedly to blame for the failure of some 4.3 million beneficiaries of the Pantawid Pamilyang Pilipino Program (4Ps) to receive cash grants or "ayuda" worth P13 billion last year. 

20240220_161556.jpgAko Bicol Party-list Rep. Jil Bongalon (left), Senator Imee Marcos (Facebook)

Senator Imee Marcos is supposedly to blame for the failure of some 4.3 million beneficiaries of the Pantawid Pamilyang Pilipino Program (4Ps) to receive cash grants or "ayuda" worth a total of P13 billion last year.

House Assistant Majority Leader Ako Bicol Party-list Rep. Jil Bongalon made this claim Tuesday, Feb. 20, amid Senator Marcos' attacks on some budget items and the budget process.

According to Bongalon, Senator Marcos redirected these funds to another social amelioration program, and essentially left hanging the indigent benefits from an estimated 900,000 households.

Bongalon said the P13-billion budget cut in the 2023 budget "at the behest of Senator Marcos deprived 4Ps beneficiaries of critical support, as funds intended for them were diverted to the Assistance to Individuals in Crisis Situations (AICS) program".

"If we do the math, P13-billion divided by P15,000 per household per year, means 867,000 families or 4.3-million poor individuals got zero cash assistance from the Department of Social Welfare and Development’s (DSWD) 4Ps program last year, thanks to Senator Imee," he said with a tinge of sarcasm.

Bongalon, whose fellow nominee is House Appropriations Committee Chairman Ako Bicol Party-list Rep. Zaldy Co, described this budget realignment "cruel and unconscionable".

He said he began to look into the budget cuts after his office received numerous complaints from 4Ps beneficiaries. He noted that zome criticized delays in aid distribution, while others complained of not receiving cash grants last year.

"As vice chair of the Committee on Appropriations, I learned that it was Senator Marcos – as head of the Senate Finance Sub-Committee in charge of DSWD’s budget – who slashed P13-billion from the 4Ps budget. This left the most vulnerable sectors without financial aid last year, possibly until the [DSWD] receives its 2024 budget," he said.

Bongalon said the reallocation allowed Senator Marcos and select political allies to distribute aid to their chosen beneficiaries instead of the real intended recipients of the 4Ps program.

Bongalon identified Vice President Sara Duterte as among these political allied of the lady senator.

What's worse is that this P13-billion budget realignment could just be the "tip of the iceberg", the assistant majority leader said.

"I understand that Senator Imee has been realigning significant portions of the 4Ps budget every year since 2021 but we’re still compiling the data," said Bongalon.

"Senator Imee takes issue with AKAP or Ayuda para sa Kapos ang Kita Program of the House of Representatives which will provide cash grants to our 'near poor' kababayans. It's ironic that she even wants a Senate inquiry into AKAP when she should be the one investigated for depriving the 'poorest of the poor' of P13-billion last year," he stressed.

The 4Ps operates in all the 17 regions in the Philippines, covering 79 provinces, 143 cities, and 1,484 municipalities. Beneficiaries are selected through the National Household Targeting System for Poverty Reduction (NHTS-PR), which identifies who and where the poor are in the country.

Under 4Ps, each household with three children may receive P1,400 every month, or a total of P15,000 every year for five years.

Related Tags

imee marcos Jil Bongalon 4Ps
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