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| Photo from Manila Times |
The labor group Partido Manggagawa (PM) on Tuesday
said that targeted or non-universal systems of providing cash aid and other
social protection programs to poor Filipinos will always face administrative
gridlock if not chaos like what happened to yesterday’s roll out of DSWD’s
educational assistance.
“When poor people cross the lines because they were
ill-informed of proper qualifications and procedures, the problem therefore
lies not with their unruly behaviors but primarily with the non-universal and
non-permanent system of social protection,” stated PM Chair Renato Magtubo.
Magtubo was referring to prior announcements made
by Secretary Erwin Tulfo himself as regards qualification and limited venue for
the payout of educational assistance.
The DSWD announced earlier that 4Ps beneficiaries
are no longer qualified for education aid, only for the agency to issue further
clarification later that a certificate of indigency is no longer required as a
copy of enrollment certificate would suffice to qualify in the program, thus
the confusion.
“Secretary Tulfo, with his signature sharp eye and
acid tongue for even the smallest amount of ‘kapalpakan’ of even the lowest
public official, should have learned hard lessons from the chaotic roll out of
the Social Amelioration Program (SAP) in the earlier stage of the program.
Hindi pala simpleng naitu-Tulfo ang problema ng kahirapan,” said Magtubo.
Magtubo said the DSWD episode yesterday also
reminded him of the Wowowee stampede which killed at least 70 people.
“The government should constantly be reminded of
the fact that unsolved problems of poverty and misery sent waves of people
crashing into the gates of Philsports Arena in 2006. Yesterday was a reminder
to Secretary Tulfo that graduating from poverty in a country as highly unequal
as the Philippines needs less pep talk but serious structural reforms.”
The labor group suggested that varied forms of
social protection be placed into a basket under a system that is universal and
permanent in nature such as universal health care, education for all,
unemployment insurance, employment guarantee, living pension for the elderly,
and other forms.
“Universalization eventually reforms the system of
patronage today where the sick, the unemployed, the elderly, the children and
their parents must assume debts of gratitude from politicians and other
government officials who were given special privileges and access to public
funds for dole out,” explained Magtubo.
On the contrary, added the labor leader and
incumbent Councilor of the City of Marikina, targeted systems create
discrimination and inequality even among the poor who need to qualify
themselves first as either belonging to the poorest of the poor, near poor, or
an indigent in general.
“Para mareporma, ang scholarship fund o educational assistance, halimbawa, ay diretso na dapat sa mga iskwelahan at mga ahensya ng gubyerno na lamang ang mag-usap at mag-account. Ganundin sa healthcare, ang pasyente ay hindi na kailangang dumaan kanino mang opisyal dahil ang bahay o tanggapan ni honorable ay hindi naman pagamutan,” concluded Magtubo.
22 August 2022
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