Expanded social aid sought

A SENATE committee on Tuesday called on several government agencies to expand the coverage of subsidies to include the middle class amid the energy crisis triggered by the Middle East war.

In a hearing on proposed amendments to Republic Act No. 11310, the Pantawid Pamilyang Pilipino Program, Senator Erwin T. Tulfo urged the Department of Social Welfare and Development (DSWD), Department of Labor and Employment (DoLE), Department of Agriculture (DA), and the Department of Trade and Industry (DTI) to also provide assistance to other minimum wage earners.

“When we talk of aid, we also have to look at everybody, not only the poorest of the poorest, the transport sector, farmers, and fishermen,” Mr. Tulfo, who chairs the Senate Committee on Social Justice, Welfare, and Rural Development, said in his opening statement. “What about those in the middle class? Let us not forget these people. This was our problem during the pandemic.”

Mr. Tulfo also raised concerns on the long-term sustainability of the assistance distribution measures of the agencies and the coverage of laborers outside the transport sector, such as those in the construction and manufacturing industries.

During the hearing, the said agencies assured the committee that there are sufficient funds to continue their assistance programs for the next three months but raised issues on funding for the longer term.

DSWD Undersecretary Fatima Aliah Q. Dimaporo said the agency could fund the distribution aid for the oil crisis but could compromise other programs for medical, burial, and financial assistance, noting that prolonged dependency on the aid for six to 12 months could compromise the sustainability of their measures.

Meanwhile, Labor Assistant Secretary Adeline T. De Castro said P1.2 billion have been allocated to fund the TUPAD program for the transport sector and reintegration assistance for repatriated migrant workers.

However, Mr. Tulfo questioned the sustainability of the distribution aid, raising that it might compromise the funding for livelihood programs.

“My problem with [the] DTI, DoLE, DA, and DSWD — the funds intended for the livelihood might get used up right now,” Mr. Tulfo said. — Kaela Patricia B. Gabriel