Former House Speaker Alan Peter Cayetano on Tuesday lamented the lack of a program that will provide P10,000 in cash aid to every Filipino family in the P5.024-trillion national budget proposed by the Executive for 2022.
“Maraming good news sa 2022 budget — hinihimay na namin po — pero may mga bad news din. Walang lump sum na P150-200 billion para sa sampung libong ayuda which I really believe na dapat meron,” Cayetano said in a Facebook livestream on August 24 before his Sampung Libong Pag-Asa program.
(There is a lot of good news concerning the 2022 budget — we are currently dissecting it – however there is still some bad news. There is no appropriated lump sum of P150-200 billion for the P10,000 cash assistance which I really believe should be there).
Cayetano and his allies in the Balik sa Tamang Serbisyo (BTS) sa Kongreso have been pushing for the 10K Ayuda Bill which seeks to provide every Filipino family with P10,000 in direct aid to help them with their daily needs as well as put up their own small businesses during the pandemic.
The proposed measure was filed in February and was consolidated into Bayanihan 3, but the provision of P10,000 for every family was not adopted.
Cayetano had previously said that only P200 billion is needed to provide each Filipino family with P10,000 in cash aid during the pandemic.
The former Speaker acknowledged that there are various forms of financial assistance amounting to tens of billions in the proposed budget such as the Assistance to Individuals in Crisis Situation (AICS) and the Tulong Panghanapbuhay sa Ating Disadvantaged/Displaced Workers (TUPAD).
However, he noted that targeted programs “always have too much bureaucracy” which is not ideal for the current situation.
“Iba pa rin po talaga y’ung diretsuhan na lang na lahat n’ung pamilya makakakuha,” he said.
(It’s much better if we were to give the financial aid directly to the affected families).
Sampung Libong Pag-Asa
With the non-inclusion of the 10K ayuda from the proposed national budget, Cayetano and his allies continue to provide cash assistance through the Sampung Libong Pag-asa program.
In the program’s episode on August 24, Cayetano focused on giving cash assistance to displaced workers in the food industry such as cooks, waiters, and bartenders.
The program saw 30 new beneficiaries from the cities of San Juan, Manila, and Parañaque.
La Huerta, Parañaque City barangay chair Peter Augustine Velasco expressed his support for the 10K Ayuda, calling on Filipinos to set aside politics and personal differences.
“Ang importante ho maihatid natin y’ung tulong. ‘Yan po ang makikinabang po niyan ay taumbayan po. Magkaisa po tayo,” he said.
(What is important now is that we are able to bring aid. This is for the benefit of everyone. We have to help one another.)
As of Tuesday, the total number of Sampung Libong Pag-asa beneficiaries stood at 9,235.
