Transcript of Manifestations of Senator Risa Hontiveros DSWD Budget Deliberations

On the Social Protection Program for Adolescent Mothers and their Children (SPPAMC)

Last June 2021, former Pres. Duterte signed EO 141 that declared the prevention of teen pregnancies as a national priority. The urgency and severity of this issue was underlined in a November 2020 SWS survey that identified teenage pregnancy as the most important problem that women in the country face. Also in 2020, we saw 157,060 babies born to adolescent mothers.

In response to this issue, the DSWD was provided for Fiscal year 2023, ₱4,000,000 budget for their Social Protection Program for Adolescent Mothers and Their Children (SPPAMC). So kung idi-divide divide po natin itong allocation na ito, apat na milyong piso hinati sa tatlong kategorya, with the ProtecTEEN program getting the bulk of it, so nagkakahalagang ₱1.9 million. Muli, pag hinati-hati natin po yang halagang iyon, kung ididistribute equally sa 17 rehiyon at kung naman icoconduct ng Department itong ProtecTeen program sa mga area kung saan pinakakinakailangan, halimbawa yung Davao at BARMM regions because these have posted some of the highest rate of adolescent pregnancy, 13.6% and 10%, respectively. Kung paghahati-hatian natin ang liit-liit na po, opo, Mr President Madam Chair, bawatr LGU bawat barnagay maaaring makatanggap na lamang ng 984 pesos o 12.69 sa bawat adolescent mother for psychosocial support and services. So ang tanong po, Mr. President, good sponsor, yung ₱984 per LGU po ba or ₱12.69 per adolescent mother sapat po ba yun realistic po ba yun para sa pagkondukta ng programang ProtecTeen?

On Social Pension of Senior Citizens

At P30,296,000,000 the 2023 budget allocation for the social pension for senior citizens remains almost the same as last year. Ibig sabihin po nito ay sobrang gaya ng abi ni madam chair, sobrang laki ng kakulangan sa dapat na umento sa pensyon nila na P1,000 kada buwan, batay sa R.A. 11916. While I would like to thank the good sponsor for the provision of P20 billion under Unprogrammed Funds, the reality is, malaking kawalan pa rin ito para sa ating mga mahihirap na lola at lolo.

As far as I know, there is a dire need to augment many social service programs of the government, not only for the social pension of our indigent senior citizens. I also know many agency officials are cracking their brains on where to source the funds needed to implement various programs. An obvious source, and glaring to me, bagama't kukulangin pa rin, are again, the enormous intelligence or confidential funds earmarked for offices whose mandates do not cover functions that will require these huge amounts.

Nakakapanlumo na makita ang daan-daang milyones para sa confidential funds ng mga opisina at ahensyang hindi naman ito ang mandato, habang hindi natin maibigay ng maayos ang social pension ng ating mahihirap at bulnerableng mga lola't lolo.

Kung tutuusin, hindi sapat ang P1,000 kada buwan upang matugunan ang kanilang mga pang araw-araw na pangangailangan, ngunit binibibigay natin ito sa kanila hindi lamang para punuan ang kanilang mga pangangailangan ngunit gaya rin ng sinabi ni Madam Chair, bilang pagkilala sa kanilang naging at patuloy na kontribusyon sa lipunan.