Palace: Failed P10,000 Aid Is Cayetano’s Fault

Sen. Alan Peter Cayetano only has himself to blame for the unfulfilled P10,000 ayuda or cash assistance promise and should cease pointing fingers at other people, including President Marcos, Malacañang said on Monday, July 20.

Palace press officer Claire Castro denied Cayetano’s claim that the President rejected the proposed cash assistance.

“First of all, he pushed for the P10,000 aid per family when he was still a member of the House of Representatives, and when it failed to move forward, the first person he blamed was Congressman Alfred Vargas, because it always turns out that he is faultless,” she noted.

Castro said Cayetano pushed for the cash assistance on May 14, 2021 during the Duterte administration, but did not succeed.

When Cayetano’s aid packages were excluded in the approved 2022 national budget, Marcos was not yet president, Castro stressed.

“That 2022 budget was prepared during the term of former president (Rodrigo) Duterte, yet why weren’t his project or proposed bill included? Most likely, the previous administration was unconvinced by his proposal, and it appears his proposal lacks sufficient study, given that he was reportedly asking for P200 billion,” she explained.

Meanwhile, Castro was also asked about the possibility of the National Bureau of Investigation inviting Public Works and Highways Secretary Vince Dizon in its probe on controversies relating to the country’s hosting of the 2019 Southeast Asian (SEA) Games.

“As long as no evidence has been presented implicating Cabinet members in corruption, the President retains his full trust in them,” she replied.

The NBI earlier said it will look into anomalies surrounding the New Clark City Sports Complex in Tarlac, built for the 2019 SEA Games, of which Cayetano chaired the organizing committee.

Tight security for payout

Meanwhile, the Philippine National Police has pledged to deploy law enforcement personnel across nationwide distribution points to secure the manual rollout of financial subsidies under the government’s expanded economic relief program.

PNP chief Gen. Jose Melencio Nartatez Jr. directed all local police units on Monday to coordinate closely with local government units and field officers to ensure an orderly, secure payout process.

“The priority is not only to ensure peace and order but to give all the beneficiaries the peace of mind that in cases of emergencies and other eventualities, their PNP would be there to assist them,” Nartatez said in a statement.

The Department of Social Welfare and Development earlier stated that the expanded Unified Package for Livelihood, Industry, Food and Transport program is the administration’s next-stage financial response to help vulnerable households cope with global oil price spikes triggered by the ongoing Middle East emergency.

The targeted subsidies cover three major groups of beneficiaries, representing roughly 7.5 million families nationwide. These include 3.5 million households enrolled under the Pantawid Pamilyang Pilipino Program and the Walang Gutom Program, 2.5 million poor and near-poor households validated under the Philippine Statistics Authority’s Community-Based Monitoring System and 1.5 million low-income contributors of the Social Security System. — With Rainier Allan Ronda