Amelioration should not be delayed, Ping stresses. Huwag gutumin ang mahirap dahil sa kapabayaan ni Meyor at Kap!

Why let poor families affected by the COVID-triggered lockdowns go hungry due to the incompetence of some local officials like mayors and barangay chairmen?

Sen. Panfilo Lacson raised this question as he stressed it is unfair to withhold the second round of amelioration funds pending a liquidation of the first round.

“Pwede namang habang nagli-liquidate i-release na kasi talagang identified nila ang 18 milyong pamilya. So bakit mo paparusahan ang pamilya na gugutumin mo ang pamilya dahil incompetent ang namumuno sa kanilang lugar?” he said in an interview on DZBB and GMA News TV.

“Mali ata yan. Papanagutin sa batas ang mayors, barangay chairman. Pero in the meantime dapat i-release na muna ang dapat i-release sa mga pamilya. Tapos i-supervise nang mabuti,” he added.

Besides, he said this is an emergency as the beneficiary families are in danger of going hungry since the lockdowns had prevented them from their livelihood.

“Para sa akin, ang incompetence ng namumuno dapat hindi ang mag-suffer ang dapat beneficiary. Sa akin dahil emergency, dapat ibigay na tapos ipa-liquidate na lang nila pagkatapos ng 2 buwan. Kasi kung paparusahin mo ang mga pamilya na walang kita, gugutumin mo dahil incompetent ang barangay chairman o mayor, parang di reasonable kung ang tanong mo sa akin reasonable ba,” he said.

Lacson also said the concerned officials, including those from the Department of Social Welfare and Development, may have to explain why problems arose in the distribution of amelioration for families.

In Cavite, he said some families receive P6,500 while some get P2,000.

Yet, he said the Departments of Budget and Finance had said they had already released the funds.

“Ang dapat pagpaliwanagin doon, paano dinistribute ang ganoong pondo at I’m sure sa kasamahan ko rin may reklamo o issue na nakarating sa kanila na gusto rin nila liwanagin tungkol sa pag-distribute ng amelioration fund,” Lacson said.

“Napakarami (ang reklamong dumarating sa DSWD). Hindi isolated. Kung isolated lang, pwede natin medyo pikitan ng mata kasi baka medyo na-overlook o medyo may problema sa lugar. Pero kung commonplace, dapat magpaliwanag talaga,” he added.

Source: Latest Politics News Today (Politics.com.ph)