Angara seeks review of CCT program budget

GMA News.TV
10/21/2010 07:51 PM

Senator Edgardo Angara on Thursday asked whether there really was a need to allocate P21 billion for the administration's conditional cash transfer (CCT) program, since part of the money could have been used to augment other essential government services."Is P21 billion really needed or baka naman hindi kailangan ang P21 billion (maybe they don't really need P21 billion)," Angara said during a weekly forum at the Senate.The CCT is supposed to grant a monthly stipend of up to P1,400 each to 2.3 million poor families nationwide. The program is part of the P29.2-billion Pantawid Pamilyang Pilipino Program (4Ps) of the Department of Social Welfare and Development (DSWD).In 2010, the budget for CCT was only P12 billion.Angara, however, suggested that the government realign around P6 billion to state colleges and universities, P2 billion to housing agencies, and another amount for the research and development projects of the Department of Agrarian Reform (DAR) and Department of Science and Technology (DOST)."I haven't seen such scale and magnitude of money given to one department in one blow. Marami tayong pwedeng gawin dun (We can do a lot with that money)," he said.He noted, however, that he was not against the CCT at all. "This is a powerful instrument to break the cycle of poverty. (It's a) very good program but faces the risk of being badly implemented, wasting very precious limited resources," he said.He added that maybe the DSWD can solicit the help of the Department of Education and the Department of Health in the distribution of the cash transfers since the said departments have personnel on the field already. The Senate had earlier asked the DSWD to explain in writing how it plans to implement the CCT. (See: Senate scrutinizes DSWD cash transfer program)Senator Franklin Drilon, head of the Senate committee on finance, said that the senators are "generally supportive" of the program, but they need to make sure there is proper monitoring given the amount of public funds devoted to it.Earlier, the House minority bloc criticized the Aquino government for its alleged "band aid" or short-term solutions to poverty, which supposedly includes the CCT. (See: House minority hits Aquino's 'band aid' solutions to poverty)The budget of the DSWD was increased by 123 percent—from P15.4 billion in 2010 to P34.3 billion in 2011.—Kimberly Jane T. Tan/JV, GMANews.TV