GMA on the right track

We have participated in the approval of 12 budgets as Senator and in 8 budgets as Cabinet Member and there has never been a case of a budgetary item being doubled as in the increase of the Conditional Cash Transfers (CCT) program from P10 billion to P21 billion. The normal increase would be only 10-20 percent.

We, therefore, agree with former President now Congresswoman Gloria Macapagal Arroyo (Pampanga, 2nd dist.), that the huge increase in the DSWD budget is “irresponsible, ambitious and untimely”. She insisted that the DSWD does not have the personnel or “absorptive capacity” to implement the ambitious program to distribute P1,400/month to 2.3 million beneficiaries. 

It is truly irresponsible because you deny the amounts given to DSWD to be allocated to other priorities. It should be recalled that DSWD since time immemorial has not been efficient in distributing relief goods costing much less than P21 billion to victims much, much less than P2.3 million people.

COA Chairman Rey Villar adds his opinion against the huge CCT budget: “It would be very difficult to know how the huge amount would be spent. We don’t have that many people to check whether the fund goes to its intended beneficiaries.”

We are not against CCT in principle but it would be appropriate to suggest that the CCT program be increased by only P2 billion or 20 percent of the present budget and the P9 billion be realigned to implement the universal adoption of pre-school for all pupils entering public school (about P6 billion) and the purchase of medicines and medical equipment for government hospitals (say P3 billion) and providing every policeman with new pistols, bulletproof vests, and other personal equipment (say P2 billion).

Sen. Edgardo Angara who opposes the CCT budget suggests it be realigned for agriculture. Sen. Miriam D. Santiago also opposes the CCT and wants it realigned to restore cuts in the state colleges and universities. It is now up to the Senate to cut the CCT which the House of Representatives approved. 

Congresswoman Kimi Cojuangco, a former Mayor revealed that DSWD officers in Rosario, Pangasinan gave cash assistance to their relatives and friends.

And before this is finally decided, there should be a special audit of how the present 10 billion CCT budget has been used and exactly how many persons received the dole-outs. Giving doleouts to 4.3 million families by 2012 assures a senatorial seat for Dinky Soliman.

People also like to know how then DSWD Secretary Dinky Soliman under GMA spent the P500 million for food coupons she distributed and how her CODE-NGO colleagues spent the P10 billion peace bonds bonanza. Many social workers have expressed reservations about Dinky Soliman’s absorptive capacity.

A Twitter message made this significant observation, the dole out will mean the poorest of the poor will have money to bet on jueteng. Again, this is confirmed by Congw. Cojuangco that beneficiaries of the cash doleout used it for liquor and betting on gambling.

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UNTAMED ARROGANCE . . . The most arrogant statement that has come out of the P-Noy administration is from DILG Usec Rico E. Puno, P-Noy’s shooting buddy who said he is staying as DILG Usec in charge of the PNP because he is “one of the few that can tame” Noynoy. This statement is pregnant with meaning. It implies Noynoy has wild streaks that needed to be checked.

Well, P-Noy has again picked a fight with the Supreme Court, a matter that looks like Usec Puno cannot stop. Columnist Amando Doronila calls P-Noy “combative”.

The sooner Rico Puno is shifted to a less powerful position, the better for buddy Noynoy. Maybe Usec in the Department of Agriculture? Or Pagasa Director so he can tame the typhoons?

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STAR OF THE AFFAIR . . . At the Senate’s 94th anniversary reunion dinner Wednesday night at the Mindanao Room of the Sofitel Hotel, a healthy 93-year-old Senator Helena Z. Benitez was the star of the show. She delivered the response on behalf of the senators. It was attended by only 8 of the 21 incumbent senators, namely Senate President Juan Ponce Enrile, Senate Pres. ProTemp Jinggoy Estrada, Majority Floorleader Vicente Sotto III, Edgardo Angara, Loren Legarda, Serge Osmeña, Ferdinand Marcos Jr. and TG Guingona, former Senators present were President Joseph Estrada and wife former Senator Loi, Nikki Coseteng, Eva Estrada Kalaw, Vicente Paterno, Rene Espina, Eddie Ilarde, Wigberto Tañada, Heherson Alvarez and Helena Benitez.

One sad note, former Senator now President Noynoy Aquino who attended the birthday party of Mayor Antonio Calixto of Pasay just next door at the Luzon room snubbed the Senate affair, which can only make his relations with the Senate rocky. No member of the Senate Minority was present demonstrating a total lack of senatorial courtesy.

Congw. Gloria M. Arroyo confirmed her attendance but was held up at the budget deliberations in the House of Representatives.

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ATTENTION: COMM. HENARES . . . A veteran jueteng/STL operations manager reported that the take from STL alone is P1 million a day per province in Southern Tagalog, Central Luzon and Bicol. He estimates that for Regions 1-5, the total gross sales is P100 million a day, or P3 billion a month, P36 billion a year. He revealed that STL operators report only 10-20% of their sales and are protected by PCSO officials. Commissioner Kim Henares should now audit the books of all the 28 PCSO STL franchisees as well as the lifestyle of their owners.

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TIDBITS. . .P-Noy failed to show up at the NDRRMC (formerly NDCC) briefing at Camp Aguinaldo early Monday morning. Had he attended, he would have been told that his “zero casualty” target has not been achieved. . . Another first for the P-Noy administration. The House of Representatives passed a resolution asking Teresita “Ging” Deles, Presidential Adviser of the Peace Process to resign. P-Noy ignored it. Earlier, calls for resignation have been made against DepEd Sec. Armin Luistro and DILG Usec Rico E. Puno . . . The government paid P1 million per department for the services of the trainor of Cabinet Members on how to deal with media . . . Barangay Chairman Mariano Bernardo of Concepcion, Malabon was shot dead after leaving the church Sunday . . . In his 100 days report, P-Noy claimed that consumer prices are stable. A check at Unimart shows that a can of 555 or Mega sardines has gone up from P10 to P11.85.