Group doubts effectiveness of govt's CCT program
September 1, 2015 | 2:32am
MANILA, Philippines - A children's rights advocacy group on Tuesday said that the national government's conditional cash transfer (CCT) scheme has not been effective in addressing the problem of poverty in the country.
Kharlo Manano of the Salinlahi Alliance for Children’s Concerns, said more than half of the Department of Social Welfare and Development's (DSWD) proposed budget has been allotted to the CCT program.
"The DSWD’s 2016 proposed budget is P104.2 billion, in which the P62.7 billion is solely allotted for the continuation of the CCT, popularly known as Pantawid Pamilyang Pilipino Program," he said.
Manano said that while there is an annual increase on the CCT budget, the poverty incidence in the country has worsened.
"The DSWD’s ultimate intention is to conceal the real face of poverty and trivialize the plight of marginalized sectors. Even the government data shows unequivocal indications that health and education services remained inaccessible for poor children contrary to the program's objective," he said.
He also claimed that some items in DSWD's budget proposal are suspicious, including the "Comprehensive Program for Street Families and IPs (indigenous peoples) especially the Badjaos,"amounting to P36 million.
"Last year, the government has allotted around P86 million for the said program but where did this money go? Is there really a comprehensive program for the countless street families or is this money being used to bring them to expensive resorts whenever foreign dignitaries come to visit the country?" Manano said.
He said that some of the questionable items in the budget might be used as campaign kitty by some unscrupulous politicians as the 2016 national elections draw near.
"We fear that the CCT will be gravely abused by the administration to lure our poor kababayans in exchange of voting or supporting their electoral bets in the upcoming presidential election," he said.
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