Drilon in hot seat over CCT defense

The proposed P21-billion conditional cash transfer (CCT) program of the Aquino administration in the 2011 national appropriations bill is wanted slashed by some senators who remain doubtful about the so-called absorptive capacity of the implementing agency, the Department of Social Welfare and Development (DSWD).

“I will suggest to the bicam (bicameral conference committee level) that we lower it. So if that’s possible, we’ll leave P6 billion to P7 billion, we can put that back in agriculture, infrastructure, all of the other budgets that were cut,” said Sen. Ferdinand “Bongbong” Marcos Jr., chairman of the local governments as well as urban planning committee.

Marcos, in interpellating yesterday the chairman of the finance committee Sen. Franklin Drilon for almost an hour on the proposed P34.5-billion DSWD budget, a 123 percent increase in the current year’s budget, underscored the fact that he is not against the program, per se.

But he raised concerns over the mishandling, even abuse in carrying out

the huge amount of funds for the dole-out program, a matter also shared by a number of other senators, including some considered close allies of Malacañang.

“With a P21 billion-peso program, a one percent wastage is P210 million. That’s a huge amount of money. We cannot afford to put it to waste, knowing that we can put in place the necessary mechanisms. It is our job here in Congress to make sure that the money that has been appropriated goes to the proper beneficiaries or are used in a proper way.

“These examinations and discussions are not to say that we should stop the program. We believe in the program so much that what we are doing is to try and make sure that the program will be a success and the very scarce resources of the country will not go to waste,” Marcos said, in explaining to reporters his position during the plenary proceedings.

Marcos aired misgivings as to the capacity of the DSWD in handling the said amount, a huge increase from the P10 billion appropriation under the current year.

“There would be wastage if there will be an abuse. If they could not spend all of it, where will the money end up? I predict that if they will insist on P21 billion, that will be too large, it will be subject to abuse, wastage, and inefficiency at the same time. At the end of the fiscal year, what do we do with the funds that have not been used? That’s a big problem,” he pointed out.

Marcos urged his colleagues to be “less ambitious” and try to be more realistic on what’s achievable, “if we believe in the program.”

Senators took turns in debating Drilon on this particular issue, emphasizing their doubts on the capability of the DSWD and the effectiveness of the program in alleviating poverty among the 2.3 million intended beneficiaries.

Sen. Ralph Recto, considered a strong ally of the administration, shared some of the concerns raised by Marcos and proposed the possibility of realigning unused funds.

“The House of Representatives included a provision that will create an oversight committee precisely,which is exactly what the gentleman is saying. As a lawyer, we believe that this cannot be done,” Drilon retorted to Recto on the floor.

“After we have passed the budget, the power to realign is with the President and that’s constitutional and we cannot limit the powers of the President to realign items of the budget in the Executive branch. In the same manner that no one can prevent the Senate President from realigning any item in the budget of the Senate because of the separation of powers. The situation that he is pointing out, we assume that the President is responsible enough, he sees that this authorization cannot be utilized by the President himself without any need of special provision, can realign. That is within his power to do so,” Drilon added.

During the continuation of the marathon budget deliberations, Sen. Francis “Chiz” Escudero insisted that part of the CCT fund should be realigned to augment funding for public hospitals, education programs, including additional classrooms.

Escudero reminded colleagues that it will be a very expensive mistake that they will be committing if they will permit the program to be handled by an agency that is not known to have “flattering” image.

“We have to take a second look and a closer look at this. I’m torn between the nobility of the intention of the project and the agencies that might be affected,” Majority Leader Vicente Sotto III said, referring to the Department of Agriculture (DA) and the National Food Authority (NFA) which suffered cuts in the 2011 proposed budget.

Senate President Juan Ponce Enrile, in grilling Drilon, noted that a number of remote barangays in the coastal areas that are classified among the “poorest of the poor” villages were not included among the CCT beneficiaries listed by the DSWD.

“I do not know why they did not include the poor coastal villages,” he told reporters in an interview.

He emphasized that if the main delivery system of the DSWD in doling out the CCT money is through the banks “then it has to be mostly in the poblacions, the urban areas in the populated districts.”

He added that senators also want to know how the government will monitor and counter-check actual delivery of the amounts.

“That is why the political leaders of the country like members of the House of Representatives, the senators, if they go around the country, they should ask these people that they know in their areas whether they received the amounts that were said to have been received,” he said.

Defending the controversial CCT scheme, Drilon appealed to his colleagues to give the Aquino administration a chance.

“If it does not deliver (then) we will not be as sympathetic in funding the program in the subsequent national budget,” he said. –Angie M. Rosales, Daily Tribune