MANILA, Philippines — To ensure its successful implementation, Sen. Ralph G. Recto on Tuesday said that the approval of the P21-billion proposed budget of the government's conditional cash transfer (CCT) program for next year should also be “conditional,” saying the fund should be earmarked for other purposes if it is not used properly. Recto, chair of the Senate ways and means committee, said that this can be achieved by inserting a special provision in the proposed 2011 national budget putting in place a strong reportorial mechanism of developments in the implementation of the CCT program and allow its dissolution if grossly mismanaged or found to be extremely difficult to administer.
“I believe the goals of the program are commendable, but the approval of its budget should also be conditional. If we see problems and hitches during its execution, then the money should go somewhere else,” he said.
“I can think a lot of areas where this fund can be channeled if the CCT program fails. For one, the Calamity Fund needs to be augmented in order to address the woes of our farmers after calamities,” Recto said.
He said that the Philippines is one of the most disaster-prone countries in the world.
“And almost every year, we experience at least one strong typhoon that destroys billions worth of crops. Our farmers would need aid in these times,” he added.
Recto said the special provision should be crafted in a way that would require the Department of Social Welfare and Development (DSWD) to report on the status of the program to Congress on a quarterly basis.
Rolly Carandang, Manila Bulletin
