DEPUTY Speaker and Quezon Rep. David “Jayjay” Suarez on Sunday said he may propose to pass a supplemental budget to address the P9-billion deficit in the Pantawid Pamilyang Pilipino Program (4Ps) brought about by the budget cut of P13 billion made by Sen. Imee Marcos in the program’s 2023 funding.
“A supplemental budget can address the 4Ps crisis created by Sen. Marcos’ realignment of P13 billion from the program to other social amelioration endeavors of the government that left 843,00 families or 4 million poor Filipinos without financial support,” Suarez said.
“Hindi kaya ng sikmura natin na tiisin ang apat na milyong Pilipino na hindi nakakatanggap ng kanilang pondo sa 4Ps na mandato ng isang batas. Hindi dapat lalong lumala ang level ng kanilang paghihirap dahil may mga buwan o taong hindi nila natatanggap ang tulong na dapat sana ay para sa kanila,” he added.
In last week’s hearing of the House Committees on Public Accounts and Social Services on the privilege speech delivered by 4Ps Partylist Rep. JC Abalos on the said realignment, the Department of Social Welfare and Development (DSWD) confirmed the existence of the P9-billion deficit.
Also, DSWD Sec. Rex Gatchalian made a confirmation on Sen. Marcos’ realignment of P13 billion in 2023 that was supposed to be for the 4Ps but was given to programs such as CALAHISIDS, AICS, quick response to calamities.
Suarez said that when the 2023 national budget was approved in the House of Representatives, the 4Ps funding was complete and intact.
“Now I don’t know what happened in the Senate, why all of a sudden P13 billion was slashed … 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,” Suarez earlier said.
“Kaso lang hindi dapat ninanakawan ang mahihirap. Kasi wala na nga silang pera … Tatanggalan pa natin sila ng dapat nila matanggap. Sa palagay ko, hindi kaya ng sikmura ko ‘yan,” he added.
He maintained that the 4Ps program is not just another amelioration program of the DSWD that you can realign budget whenever you want, it is based on a law.
Suarez said that the objective of Republic Act No. 11310 or the Pantawid Pamilyang Pilipino Program (4Ps) Act is to reduce poverty incidence in the country by providing conditional cash transfers to poor households for a maximum period of seven years, to improve their health, nutrition and education.
“Dapat ‘yung matatanggap nila buwan-buwan, natatanggap nila. ‘Yung assistance na dapat matanggap nila, natatanggap nila. Kasi oras na may pagkakataon na mayroong puwang o may gap doon sa buwan na hindi nila natanggap, pwedeng lumala ‘yung level ng kahirapan nila,” said Suarez.
“Kumbaga, unti-unting po natin silang inaakyat. Tapos mabutasan ka na ng ilang buwan, babalik na naman sa stage 1 ‘yun,” he added.
“Kaya nga hindi ko po masikmura ‘yun ang nangyari na bakit natin ninakawan ng pondo ‘yung mga mahihirap.”
