Now it’s a P23-B CCT project
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Noy’s favorite Cabinet secretary, Dinky Soliman, since she seems to have cornered the juiciest part of this year’s budget appeared to have gained more favors as the budget for the Department of Social Welfare and Development (DSWD)’s conditional cash transfer (CCT) program was quietly jacked up by P2 billion.
Giving her the benefit of the doubt, nevertheless, Dinky’s P2-billion extra fund went to the program grant presumably to boost the cash being distributed to the poor.
The problem seems to be in the fact that the beneficiaries remained at 2.3 million families that presupposes the program lacked the groundwork to really determine the amount that each of the poor families would get.
Also, her report to the House should have included the progress of the CCT program, particularly the percentage of the targeted families who were already reached since it would appear that most of the cash in the program had already been transferred, the reason for the extra budget and it is not even the middle of the year yet.
The program, thus far, has limited success even in the perception department. A recent Social Weather Stations (SWS) survey showed that Filipinos who classify themselves as poor have even increased to an unprecedented 51 percent of households or 10.4 million families.
With the givens thus far, which were the increase in the allocation of the budget for the CCT reflecting the poor planning that went into it and the perception by many that it had not contributed at all to eradicating poverty as more Filipinos even believe that they became poorer despite the program, a review of it and the possible suspension of the allocations for it is warranted.
Dinky is handling one of the most ambitious and highly-funded programs thus far undertaken by any administration and its undertaking should not be based on face value alone or promises.
A detailed accounting of the funds for the program is warranted particularly as a result of its sudden budgetary increase.
Dinky earlier had promised to post online the list of beneficiaries of the program, a painstaking task but which will make the CCT or its official name Pantawid Pamilyang Pilipino Program (4Ps) truly transparent.
What is in the DSWD Web site, however, are mere testimonials and photos from one or two supposed beneficiaries and a map pointing to the supposed number of families in a particular province who were provided the cash transfer.
For such a program that receives a major stash of the budget, a bigger degree of transparency should be required.
The experience in the past is that such a huge amount of money left in the hands of government eventually ends up being corrupted in one way or another, either these being pocketed straight away or these ending up used for political purposes.
The CCT, despite all its noble intentions, is intrinsically a political campaign tool and the cash transfers are in nature doleouts despite whatever conditions are attached to it.
Dinky’s department had admitted being short of manpower to thoroughly monitor the beneficiary families compliance with the conditions required of them in exchange for the cash transfer.
The supposed assistance of non-government organizations in the endeavor should also be included in the transparency report regarding the program such as whether these are volunteer work or are being paid for under the program.
If these are paid for, Dinky should also be ready to identify which are these organizations to determine conflict of interest issues due to the fact she has been associated with NGO works in the past and to prevent a recurrence of the Code-NGO scandal.
Dinky should meet the transparency commitment on the program right from the start.
Denying this and the lack of any substantial achievement, the CCT should go under the microscope of Congress and consider its possible termination.
A P23-billion project is not something to leave to chance.
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