DURING Monday’s privilege hour, Senior Deputy Minority Leader Paul Ruiz Daza called on his fellow lawmakers to augment the allocation of the Pantawid Pamilyang Pilipino Program (4Ps) during the upcoming budget deliberations.
Daza made the statement in light of the recent report made by the Department of Social Welfare and Development (DSWD) on the delisting of 1.3 million Filipino households under 4Ps after already “graduating” from extreme poverty.
Daza, on the other hand, proposed stronger collaboration between the Legislative and Executive Departments to be able to add more beneficiaries under the program. Along with this, Daza pushed to convene a Joint Congressional Oversight Committee to look into issues being encountered by the DSWD and help come up with potential courses of legislative action to improve the implementation of the 4Ps. He also noted that it was among the highlights of President Ferdinand “Bongbong” Marcos Jr.’s State of the Nation Address to bring down poverty incidence in the country from 23.7 percent this year to nine percent by 2028.
“I think we are all excited to work with the President and the Cabinet to improve the economy and at the same time help more poor families. I want to be part of nation building, and I think all my colleagues feel the same way,” said Daza.
Meanwhile, other House Members manifested their support for Daza’s appeal, including 4Ps Partylist Rep. Jonathan Clement Abalos II and Gabriela Partylist Rep. Arlene Brosas.
