Senator Imee Marcos (Senate PRIB)

Ranking congressmen have vowed that the divertion of funds intended for government "ayuda" or aid programs--like what happened in a fund realignment involving Senator Imee Marcos--will never happen again. 

Surigao del Norte 2nd district Rep. Robert Ace Barbers, Quezon 2nd district Rep. David "Jay-jay" Suarez, and Manila 1st district Rep. Ernesto Dionisio Jr. shared this sentiment during a press conference Wednesday, July 31 even as the House was preparing to start deliberations on the proposed P6.352-trillion national budget for 2025. 

House of Representatives members were up in arms after they belatedly discovered last March that the allocation of the Pantawid Pamilyang Pilipino Program (4Ps) in the 2023 national budget was slashed by P13 billion by way of realignment. 

Department of Social Welfare and Development (DSWD) Secretary Rex Gatchalian would later confirm in a House inquiry on the controversy that the realignment was made by Senator Marcos after the budget measure had already hurdled the lower chamber. The P13 billion was allocated to other social amelioration programs.  

However, the funding for 4Ps is considered sacred by the solons since it is backed by law and is the State's flagship poverty alleviation program. 

"We will make sure na hindi mangyayari iyon kasi marami pong kababayan natin na ang nakalinya para tumanggap nitong benepisyong ito," Barber, chairman of the Committee on Dangerous Drugs, said. 

(We will make sure that that won't happen because a lot of our countrymen are already slated to receive that benefit.) 

"Somewhere along the way yung pondong nakalaan para sa benefiaries ng 4Ps e napunta sa iba so ngayon sa ating budget season, we will make sure na these would not happen," Barbers said, referring to the 2023 4Ps budget realignment. 

(Somewhere along the way the funds intended for the 4Ps benefiaries was diverted to something else, so in this budget season, we will make sure na these would not happen.) 

Suarez, who last March described the P13-billion fund reduction as "stealing from the poor", echoed Barbers' statements. 

"Katulad ng sinabi ni Congressman Ace na hindi po mangyayari ito, hanggang sa dulo, hanggang sa pirmahan. At kung kinakailangan na dagdagan pa natin ito, dadagdagan pa po natin ito dahil ito po ang inutos po sa amin at pinapaalala sa amin ni Speaker Martin Romualdez pagdating sa mga tulong para sa mga tao," said the deputy speaker. 

BUT FIRST, 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


(Like what Congressman Ace said, this won't happen, up to the end, up to the signing of the national budget. And if we need to add more to it, then we will add more since this what Speaker Martin Romualdez ordered and reminded us to do, when it comes to helping the people.) 

Dionisio, an assistant majority leader, said he would fight "tooth and nail" to keep the 4Ps budget free from reductions in the 2025 outlay. 

"I will fight to tooth and nail para hindi mapalitan, like what DS Jay-jay said na dapat nga mas madagdagan pa natin," the Manila lawmaker said. 

(I will fight to tooth and nail to keep it intact, like what DS Jay-jay said, we should even add more to it.) 

"So from what...happened don sa nakaraan, it's an unfortunate thing na nangyari siya. But dito sa Congress hindi na namin papayagan, babantayan nami," he added. 

(So from what happened in the past, it's an unfortunate thing that it happened. But here in Congress we won't allow it anymore, we'll keep an eye on it.) 

The 4Ps for 2025 has been alloted a budget of P114.2 billion.