Quezon 2nd district Rep. David "Jay-jay" Suarez (left), Senator Imee Marcos (MANILA BULLETIN, Facebook)

The slashing of P13 billion from the allocation of the Pantawid Pamilyang Pilipino Program (4Ps) in 2023 national budget is straight up "stealing from the poor". 

Thus, said House Deputy Speaker Quezon 2nd district Rep. David Jay-jay Suarez as he expressed sadness and bewilderment over Senator Imee Marcos' decision to realign the P13 billion away from the government's flagship poverty alleviation program. 

Suarez, in a recent joint hearing of the House Committees on Public Accounts and on Social Services, noted that the 4Ps funds were intact in the House version of the 2023 budget. 

“Now I don't know what happened in the Senate, why all of a sudden P13 billion was slashed. At dahil sa P13 billion natanggal, mayroon 843,000 Filipino families, which is around four million poor Filipinos, ang hindi nakatanggap dahil sa budget cut,” Suarez said during the hearing. 

(And because of the P13-billion reduction, there were about 843,000 Filipino families, which is around four million poor Filipinos, that didn't receive cash aid.) 

“Ayun ang malungkot. Ngayon hindi ko alam kung paano natin ilalarawan ang isang sitwasyon na ninakawan natin ang isang mahirap. Kasi kalimitan, ang mga mayaman ang ninanakawan. Kaso lang hindi dapat ninanakawan ang mahihirap. Kasi wala na nga silang pera. Tatanggalan pa natin sila ng dapat nila matanggap,” he lamented. 

(That's what's sad. Now I can't describe to you a situation where we steal from the poor. Usually, it's the rich who get stolen from. We shouldn't steal from the poor. Because they don't have money to begin with. And now we're taking the money that they're supposed to receive.) 

The beneficiaries of 4Ps are often tagged as the "poorest of the poor". The Department of Social Welfare and Development (DSWD) distributes the cash grants under 4Ps. 

Also attending the hearing DSWD Secretary Rex Gatchalian, who confirmed to Suarez that the realignment made by Senator Marcos. The P13 billion was allocated to other social amelioration programs. 

“Kaya nga hindi ko po masikmura yun ang nangyari na bakit natin ninakawan ng pondo 'yung mga mahihirap,” Suarez stressed. 

HAVE YOU READ THIS? 

https://mb.com.ph/2024/2/22/imee-marcos-bears-accountability-for-slashing-p13-b-from-4-ps-budget-says-house-leader


(That's why I can't stomach what happened, why did we steal the funds that were meant for the poor.) 

4PS Party-list Rep. JC Abalos had previously delivered the privilege speech questioning the lady senator's realignment. He said that because of this, the DSWD's deficit in the 4Ps program swelled to a whopping P9 billion. 

Abalos also referred to a press release from the Senate where Senator Marcos admitted to slashing the 4Ps budget and redirecting the funds to other social amelioration program of the DSWD.