Senatorial candidate and Leyte Rep. Martin Romualdez on Wednesday vowed to reform and expand the conditional cash transfer program or the the Pantawid Pamilyang Pilipino Program should he win a Senate seat to ensure that this will be made available to those who truly need it and not to be used as a political pawn.
Romualdez, a lawyer and president of the Philippine Constitution Association, said he would sponsor a proposed law institutionalizing the CCT once elected to the Senate, underscoring the importance for the next 17th Congress to pass the measure to reduce poverty and improve the lives of many Filipinos.
“I am going to sponsor a proposed law on the matter [CCT] given a chance to serve in the Senate. All we have to do is to ensure that intended beneficiaries will benefit from the CCT by improving the system of granting aid to the poor in multifarious ways,” Romualdez, who ran unopposed in the last polls and a former chairman of the House committee on ethics and privileges, pointed out.
The Leyte opposition leader whose key platform focuses on improving jobs, health, education, agriculture and disaster preparedness lamented the consistent reports made by the Commission on Audit in connection with the inaccuracies in the list of beneficiaries being provided by the Department of Social Welfare and Development.
“There were serious problem on the list of beneficiaries, the distribution gridlocks and concerns of verifications issues and non-compliance of the requirements. We have to do something to reform the system so that this will not be politicized,” Romualdez, head of the House Independent Bloc and a three-term congressman who is running for the Senate under a platform anchored on compassionate governance, explained.
“An effective implementation of the CCT can be seen by establishing basic parameters, procedures and mechanisms that are politically free. We have to make sure that this aid for the poor is available to them,” Romualdez, a shared senatorial candidate of Vice President Jejomar Binay, Davao City Mayor Rodrigo Duterte and Senator Miriam Defensor-Santiago who are all running for president, said.
If handled properly, Romualdez said the CCT will “significantly improve the education status of the children and even their nutrition because the matter directly addresses poverty.”
Romualdez said his proposal would include persons with disabilities (PWDs), senior citizens, and among others as beneficiaries.
Romualdez said he wants the inclusion of free medicines and livelihood seminars and trainings for the indigents.
“The CCT must cover free medicines because poor people need medication with the continued failure of the concerned government body to improve the country’s health care system despite increases in the annual national budget for the health. The poor should not be denied of proper and free healthcare system,” Romualdez said.
“We will also train our beneficiaries how to catch fish while the government is providing aid and assistance to them,” Romualdez added
The CCT program was conceived during the Arroyo administration and has been adopted by the present government as as ‘dole-out’ program for the poor.