Senator Risa Hontiveros on Tuesday urged the government to realign unutilized funds under the Bayanihan to Recover As One Act or Bayanihan 2 and its use to augment cash assistance to accommodate more Filipinos during the pandemic.
“In less than two months, mapapaso na ang effectivity ng Bayanihan 2, pero may mga pondo dito na hindi pa nagagamit,” she said.
“Dapat i-realign ito at gamiting ayuda para sa mga kababayan nating kapos na kapos pa rin hanggang ngayon,” Hontiveros said.
The Senator specified the P10-billion budget allocated under the Department of Trade and Industry (DTI)-CARES program for working capital loans to micro, small and medium enterprises (MSMEs) including the tourism sector.
She said that 70 percent of the funds has remained intact as MSMEs in the sector have not tapped the financial aid made available to them. These loan appropriations, according to Hontiveros, can be realigned to provide cash assistance instead.
“Ayuda imbes na pautang. Seventy percent of the P10B funds for loans under DTI has remained untouched. That’s P7 billion-worth of assistance that can benefit around 1.4 million Filipinos with 5,000 each. Huwag nang buruhin ang pondo kung pwede namang ibigay na lang sa mga mas nangangailangan,” she said.
Hontiveros also emphasized that cash assistance should be continuous as many Filipinos are still battling with the prolonged economic crisis, and many families have fallen back into poverty.
“The evidence speaks: the number of people suffering from hunger has doubled. Six out of 10 Filipino families are in debt just to have something on their plates. Hindi dapat tumitigil ang ayuda dahil hindi naman humuhupa ang paghihirap na dinaranas ng ating mga kababayan,” she said.
The post Hontiveros: Realign unused Bayanihan 2 loan funds for cash aid first appeared on .Source: Latest Politics News Today (Politics.com.ph)
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