SAGIP Party-list Rep. Rodante Marcoleta (left), Senator Imee Marcos (Facebook)

SAGIP Party-list Rep. Rodante Marcoleta has called for a formal inquiry to once and for all set the record straight on Senator Imee Marcos' realignment of P13 billion from the 2023 Pantawid Pamilyang Pilipino Program (4Ps) budget, which deprived some four million poor Filipinos of much-needed cash aid. 

Marcoleta made the call during recent joint hearing of the House Committees on Public Accounts and on Social Services that was attended by Department of Social Welfare and Development (DSWD) Secretary Rex Gatchalian. 

"In fairness to Senator Imee Marcos we cannot make any judgment based on press reports. Siguro ang pwede nating gawin let’s make an official inquiry paano nangyari yan (Maybe what we can do is, let’s make an official inquiry on how that happened)," Marcoleta said during the hearing. 

"This is a very serious issue Mr. Chair. Sana (Hopefully) we should have a formal inquiry...Let us do everything possible. Not only probably to identify who is or are responsible, but maybe better, yung may balik sana natin ito (hopefully we can restore it). I hope it is not too late Mr. Secretary," he said. 

The DSWD oversees the payouts for the 4Ps, which is the government's flagship poverty alleviation program. It serves those are considered the poorest of the poor. 

Senator Marcos reportedly made the realignment in her capacity as the head of the Senate finance sub-committee in charge of the budget of the DSWD. It reportedly took place during the Bicameral Conference Committee hearings between the House of Representatives and the Senate pn the national budget. 

"The last time we checked, I think the House of Representatives has nothing to do with this. And after the bicam, some miracles were performed," Gatchalian said. 

The SAGIP solon, whose constituency is the urban poor, underscored the need to find out exactly what happened. 

"Bakit naman nagkaganoon? There should be a reason. Malaking problema ito. Di naman basta naisip niya lang, napanaginip niya lang, napanaginipan niya biglang tatanggal nito simply because there was underutilization here and there," Marcoleta, a former deputy speaker, said. 

(Why did that happen? There should be a reason. This is a big problem. The person could not have just thought of it or dreamt of it that the budget would be slashed simply because there was underutilization here and there.) 

READ THIS: 

https://mb.com.ph/2024/3/22/ninakawan-ang-mahirap-solon-says-he-can-t-stomach-imee-marcos-realignment-of-4-ps-budget 

The P13-billion reduction reportedly deprived of cash assistance some 843,000 Filipino families, which is around four million poor Filipinos. 

"Sana kung sino man responsible sa gumawa nito, inisip niyang mabuti ito (Whoever is responsible here, the person should have thought about the consequences first) 

"SAGIP is Social Amelioration and Genuine Intervention on Poverty because the sector of this representation is the urban poor. Malaki ang stake ko naman dito sa sector ito na aking ginagalawan dito (I have a huge stake in this sector, which I belong to)," Marcoleta said. 

Gatchalian said in the same hearing that Senator Marcos realigned the P13 billion to other social amelioration programs. 

When the DSWD wrote to ask about why the 4Ps budget was slashed in the first place, Gatchalian said they never received an answer, although he assumed it was due to the agency's underutilization of funds from 2020 to 2022.