PRESIDENT Duterte yesterday ordered the Department of Finance (DOF) to increase the monthly subsidy for poor households to P500 per month from the previous P200 monthly to help cushion the impact of the rising prices of fuel.
The President, in his speech during the signing of the Public Service Act into law, while he acknowledged the economic difficulties that the government will face if the financial assistance is increased, said that the P200 additional unconditional cash aid is just “too small” and “will not be able to sustain a family of three, four, five… and those with many kids.”
“Sabi ko…’Bahala na ang presidente niyan saan siya magnakaw. T*** i** basta ibigay natin iyung ano P500.’ So, I hope that this would go a long way really to help. Huwag lang sayangin sa e-sabong (I said… ‘It is up to the next president where he will steal it. Son of a b**** just give the P500.’ So, I hope that this would go a long way in helping them. I hope they do not waste it on e-sabong),” Duterte said.
He said funds under the Bayanihan laws, especially those already programmed for specific items such as coronavirus disease (COVID-19)-related responses, would not be touched as these would be used if the country experiences another surge and if new variants enter the country that could lead to more funding needs in the future.
Last week, the President approved a P200 unconditional subsidy for the country’s poor households, which is estimated to be about 50 percent of the general population.
Finance Secretary Carlos Dominguez III has said that P200 a month was all that the government could afford as subsidy as giving more would force the government to resort to more borrowings.
The additional subsidy would be on top of the subsidy that the Pantawid Pamilyang Pilipino Program (4Ps) are already receiving.
As of February 28, records from the Department of Social Welfare and Development (DSWD) show that 4.2 million poor households are enrolled under the 4Ps.
Depending on the number of enrolled students in the family and their grade level, each family can receive between P1,650 per month to P3,450 a month.
