Not a single peso was wasted or misused by the administration in the implementation of the conditional cash transfer program (CCT) for the country’s poor families, President Aquino assured yesterday.
The President said the funds allocated for the Pantawid Pamil-yang Pilipino Program (4Ps) went to the intended beneficiaries, citing that around 7.7 million Filipinos have been lifted out of poverty with the help of the welfare subsidy program.
“Meron namang nagsasabi: Imbestigahan daw ang Pantawid Pamilya, at napakalaki ng gastos natin dito,” the President said during the 65th anniversary celebration of the DSWD in Malacañang.
“Palagay ko naman po, ta-yong mas nakakarami’t bukas at maayos ang pag-iisip, sasabihing ‘yung naitalang 7.7 milyong Pilipinong nakaalpas na sa kahirapan sa tulong ng 4Ps – talagang sulit ang bawat pisong inilaan natin sa programa,” Aquino added.
Under the administration’s flagship anti-poverty program, the DSWD provides monthly subsidies to poorest families across the country in exchange of sending their children to school and undergoing regular health checkups.
The administration, however ,has drawn criticisms from some groups for allegedly giving doleouts to the poor instead of providing jobs and other livelihood aid to them.
The President, in his speech, said the budget of the CCT has been increased to R62 billion in 2015, from P10 billion in 2010. From 787,000 beneficiaries in 2010, the number of poor households benefiting from the CCT has risen to 4.4 million.
This year, Aquino said the government has allotted R62.7 billion to cover 4.6 million poor families. He said they have expanded the coverage of the CCT program to cover households with children in high school.