Dispatch from Crame No. 999:
Sen. Leila M. de Lima on the 7 Billion budget cut on the Pantawid Pamilyang Pilipino Program (4Ps)

12/18/20

I am thoroughly disappointed and dismayed upon hearing that a Senate colleague had pushed for and succeeded in slashing ₱7-billion from the 4Ps program. This cut will affect around 300,000 families that were anticipated to "graduate" from the program before the pandemic arrived.

Nakapanlulumo at napakabigat sa kalooban na malaman ito lalo't alam natin na ang ayudang dala ng 4Ps ay isa sa mga pinaka-inaasahan ng milyun-milyon nating mga kababayang naghihikahos sa buhay na lalo pang hinagupit ng kahirapan dahil sa pandemya.

This decision of cutting the program's funding, at a time when the Filipino poor are still reeling from significant losses in livelihood and income brought by the pandemic, is nothing short of heartless as it is oppressive. Maraming naghihirap, nagugutom at umaasa sa suporta ng pamahalaan at ang sagot nito sa sigaw ng tulong ng daang libong pamilya ay ang pagtapyas sa pondo ng programang ito.

Bakit ba ganyan na lang ang gigil niyo sa mahihirap, dapang-dapa na nga sila, lalo niyo pang binabaon? How dare you pour salt into the wounds that they are still nursing, wounds that cannot close because ages-old poverty was not remedied by a government that kept reneging on its promise of malasakit, wounds that this government's dismal pandemic response has repeatedly injured.

The poor should not be made to pay for this government's failures. Huwag ang mga walang-wala at said na said na mamamayan ang pagbayarin ninyo sa mga pagkukulang at pagkakamali ninyo sa bayan.

Certain legislators say that they support the program but their actions tell us otherwise. It shouldn't come as a shock anymore, with this government's misgovernance and twisted priorities. Hindi nakagugulat pero nakagagalit! ###

(Access the handwritten version of Dispatch from Crame No. 999, here: https://issuu.com/senatorleilam.delima/docs/dispatchno999)