Dole-out mentality feared in higher CCT

A LAWMAKER yesterday raised misgivings on the proposed doubling of the Department of Social Welfare and Development’s (DSWD) budget for next year, citing a “dole-out society” in the works with a higher allocation for the conditional cash transfer (CCT) program.

“I think this budget is not carefully studied. The general orientation of this budget is instead of productivity… it was even reduced. This is the start of establishing a dole-out society,” Senator Edgardo J. Angara yesterday said in a radio interview, referring to the 123% increase in DSWD budget within the P1.645-trillion 2011 appropriations bill.

“This is not sustainable as we are a developing country,” Mr. Angara said.

The DSWD has proposed a P21-billion budget for CCT in 2011 from P10 billion this year, raising the beneficiaries to 2.3 million poor families from the current one million.

The money will fund a monthly stipend of P1,400 per family provided that school-age children attend classes and regularly visit health centers for their well-being.

DSWD not ready

Mr. Angara also noted the logistics requirement of increasing the program’s coverage.

“This will have large coordination problems DSWD may not be ready for such a big fund and big organizational support,” Mr. Angara said.

Sought for comment, Social Welfare Secretary Corazon J. Soliman said CCTs are not dole-outs.

“In itself [CCT] is not a dole-out. It addresses goals which we are low [at] such as poverty alleviation and education,” she said in a phone interview.

“Our systems are already in place so what we are doing now is just a complementation and expansion of existing programs,” she added. — J. B. F. Santos, Businessworld