Sulong Dignidad partylist will introduce laws that will increase access of poor families to basic services and improve existing programs that give value to human dignity.
According to Sulong Dignidad president and first nominee Atty. Rico Paolo Quicho they will push for legislation that would institutionalize the government’s conditional cash transfer program, double the indigent senior citizens social pension, and give additional budget for feeding programs for children.
“We want to immediately institutionalize the Pantawid Pamilyang Pilipino Program (4Ps) of the government to make sure that the people are given what is due them,” he said.
“Once a law is in place, it would greatly help in monitoring beneficiaries and clean up the roster to cover only those who satisfy the requirements,” he added.
Aside from institutionalizing 4Ps, Quicho said doubling the social pension for seniors is necessary to help offset the increasing prices of basic commodities.
“While the prices of basic commodities continue to rise, the original P500 monthly social pension has not increased since 2010,” Quicho said.
“Bukod sa araw-araw na pangangailangan gaya ng pagkain, marami po sa ating mga senior citizens ang nangangailangan na rin ng mga gamot at iba pang medical services. Kailangan na po nating dagdagan ang kanilang social pension,” Quicho added.
The Social Pension for Indigent Senior Citizens, which currently covers 3.4 million indigent seniors, is the government’s assistance for poor seniors to augment their daily needs.
Quicho also said Sulong Dignidad will push for additional budget for the national feeding program to make sure that children in public daycares and public elementary schools are given proper nutrition.
“Marami pa rin pong bata sa ating mga daycare centers ang malnourished o undernourished. Sisiguruhin po natin na bawat bata ay mabibigyan ng sapat na nutrisyon upang sila'y lumaking malusog at matalino,” Quicho said.