Senator Grace Poe underscored that government cash assistance programs should be widely disseminated to the public, especially to communities in need of access to the aid.
“Any time that the government has extra cash or the capability to support social welfare programs, we will back them up as long as they are sustainable and accessible to the people,” said Poe, chairperson of the Senate finance committee.
“Hindi dapat sikreto o confidential ang programang pantulong ng gobyerno.”
“Hindi dapat sikreto o confidential ang programang pantulong ng gobyerno. Dapat alam ito ng ating mga kababayan, para sa kanila ito,” the veteran legislator added.
The seasoned lawmaker said assistance programs coursed through agencies like the Department of Social Welfare and Development (DSWD) should not be selective and should reach all intended beneficiaries like poor families and those needing help to get back on their feet.
“Cash aid is a form of wealth transfer to the poor or lower middle-income families.”
The lady senator agrees with Department of Finance Secretary Ralph Recto that cash aid is a form of wealth transfer to the poor or lower middle income families.
“It’s a direct way to transfer government assets to the needy to have an instant impact on them and help address poverty,” she said.
Appropriations for cash aid and other social welfare programs are among the focus of discussions in the Senate plenary as it deliberates the proposed 2025 budget amounting to P6.352 trillion.
Although not included in the Senate version, Poe said the Ayuda sa Kapos ang Kita Program (AKAP) will still be discussed and reviewed.
The AKAP was not in the National Expenditure Program that was submitted by Malacanang to Congress.
However, the House of Representatives set aside a P39-billion fund for the program in its version.
“We want to take a look at the AKAP progress report — who received the assistance, how effective it is, is it necessary or just a redundancy,” Poe said.
“Every peso we allocate for programs must be justified,” she added.
