DAVAO CITY – Gabriela Women’s Party hit President Aquino for “refusing” to take accountability for the rise of poverty, unemployment, and his “loan-heavy” conditional-cash transfer (CCT) program during his last State of the Nation Address (SONA).
“After five years of CCT under Aquino, there are at least 25.8 million Filipinos living below an adjusted and manipulated poverty line,” said Gabriela Rep. Emmi de Jesus.
“With the number of suffering and hungry Filipinos increases, how can we say that the lives of Filipino families improve under Aquino’s CCT program?” De Jesus said.
Rep. Luz Ilagan cited an Asian Development Bank report which “revealed this year that almost P19 billion of the CCT program’s P62 billion budget did not go to the poor.”
Ilagan also said the Commission on Audit report December last year revealed that Social Welfare secretary Dinky Soliman “failed to account for P1.08 billion in grants.”
She added that Aquino’s “high praises for the failed programs” in his last Sona “is an attempt to justify the budget being allocated for the CCT despite the allegations of corruption.” (davaotoday.com)
