Senator Alan Peter Cayetano urged the Marcos administration to provide conditional cash support for orphans, emphasizing the state’s constitutional duty to act as a second parent to abandoned children.
Cayetano made this appeal during a recent Senate plenary debate on the proposed 2025 budget for the Department of Social Welfare and Development (DSWD).
“If we’re allocating P100 billion for the Pantawid Pamilyang Pilipino Program (4Ps), why can’t we designate a certain amount for orphans?” he asked the DSWD representatives.
He proposed that the agency identify stunted children in orphanages and offer financial support to each of them through their care facilities, contingent upon their school attendance and regular health check-ups.
“It’s similar to the 4Ps program, but instead of dealing with individual parents, we’re working with those managing the institutions,” he explained.
In response to Cayetano’s inquiries, the DSWD disclosed that there is currently no program specifically aimed at addressing the needs of orphans, aside from the Oplan Pag-Abot initiative for individuals living on the streets.
The agency noted that it provides P3,000 in cash assistance per child in care facilities through the Assistance to Individuals in Crisis Situations (AICS), but this assistance is a one-time benefit.
“So that’s less than P300 a month, while those with parents receive P1,600 per month,” Cayetano stated, referring to 4Ps beneficiaries.
“I will not hesitate to advocate for those who do not have parents,” he added.
Senator Imee Marcos, Vice Chair of the Finance Committee and sponsor of the agency’s budget in the Senate, echoed Cayetano’s concerns, pointing out that there is currently no census to determine the total number of orphans in the country.
In 2022, following his return to the Senate, Cayetano filed Senate Bill No. 301, also known as the Trust Fund for Abandoned, Neglected, or Voluntarily Committed Children.
The bill aims to establish a trust fund account for every abandoned, neglected, or voluntarily committed child, which would be managed by the DSWD in partnership with a trust entity.
“Like any other child, they need to live in a safe, secure, and comfortable family environment free from poverty and exploitation. They too are deserving of love and affection,” he stated in the bill’s explanatory note.
