DSWD: P8-B budget cut unacceptable

MANILA, Philippines - The Department of Social Welfare and Development (DSWD) on Wednesday called on the Senate to put back the P8 billion that it slashed from the department's budget.

DSWD Secretary Corazon "Dinky" Soliman that the agency "cannot accept" the reduction from its budget that will serve as cash grants for the conditional cash transfer (CCT) or Pantawid Pamilyang Pilipino Program beneficiaries  next year.

READ: Senate cuts CCT funds by P8 B

"This was made despite the fact that the Senate has approved our budget proposal in the budget plenary session in November, without deductions. In fact, they even put in additional funds to our Social Pension and Supplementary Feeding Programs so we can cover more indigent Filipinos in need of government support," Soliman said in a statement.

Soliman pointed out that 4.4 million households will not receive health and education grants and 10.2 million children will not be able to go to school nor visit a health facility if the budget cut in 2016 will be implemented.

The Senate diverted the P8 billion they cut from CCT funds to the Philippine Air Force (PAF). Sens. Juan Ponce Enrile, Vicente "Tito" Sotto III and Loren Legarda sponsored the PAF augmentation.

The DSWD secretary said that Enrile, Sotto and Legarda "may have to explain to more than 15 million Pantawid Pamilya individual beneficiaries why they will have to go through this."

Meanwhile, Malacañang has asked the Senate to reconsider its decision to cut the funds for the CCT program next year.

Presidential Communication Office Secretary Herminio "Sonny" Coloma Jr. remains hopeful that the deliberations of the bicameral conference committee will deliver positive results on the matter.

The bicameral committee, composed of members from the Senate and the House of Representatives, is still deliberating on the proposed 2016 national budget worth P3.002 trillion.

RELATED: Palace hopeful Congress will reconsider P8-B CCT budget cut

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