Villar presses DSWD, NEDA to clearly identify beneficiaries of gov't cash aid amid COVID-19

Senator Cynthia Villar on Monday reiterated her request for the executive branch to "clearly identify" the beneficiaries of the P200-billion emergency cash subsidy of the government.

“Even if I have issued an apology about my remarks, I am still waiting for an explanation from the Department of Social Welfare and Development and National Economic and Development Authority about my inquiry to them to clearly identify the recipients or beneficiaries of the government’s cash aid. I found some inconsistencies and discrepancies in the figures they presented," Villar said in a statement.

"They have to disclose who the beneficiaries are. I have no problem if they included the middle income earners as long as they are qualified. The intended beneficiaries should be the ones to receive the cash aid and figures should add up," she added, noting that the middle class is further divided into subgroups.

Villar drew criticism last week after saying that the middle class should not receive cash assistance from the government. She has since apologized for the said remark.

The senator earlier pointed out that the 18 million target families of the Social Amelioration Program already make up 82% of the total 22 million families in the Philippines. She noted that only 59% are low-income and belonging to the poor or unemployed sector.

"'Yung 18 million is 82%. Bakit bibigyan 'yung middle eh may trabaho sila, kahit lockdown nagsusuweldo sila sa gobyerno kung employed by the government. Kung employed naman ng mga private, nagsusuweldo rin sila kaya nga nahihirapan ang mga companies kasi they have to pay the salaries even if there is no business," Villar said.

"Hindi ko ma-accept ang figures na 'yun. Masyadong mataas. Nade-deprive ang mahihirap dahil binibigyan pati ang middle class," she added.

On the other hand, Acting Socioeconomic Planning Secretary Karl Kendrick Chua has explained that the 22 million families being cited by Villar is from 2015 data which had to be updated to meet the actual needs in the present.

Despite this explanation, Villar said she wants to know how local government units came up with the updated list of beneficiaries for the P5,000 to P8,000 emergency subsidy.

"There are so many people who have been complaining that they did not receive any cash aid. How did the local government and barangay officials identify the beneficiaries not determined by the DSWD? We want that disclosed so people will understand if they are among the intended beneficiaries or not," she said.

Villar underscored that government resources are finite and must be handled with prudence amid the pandemic to ensure its long-term sustainability.

"There is the so-called check and balance between the executive and the legislative branches of the government. I would be remiss in my mandate as a senator if I will not inquire about or question some government actions or policies," she said. —KG, GMA News