House Assistant Majority Leader and Ako Bicol Partylist Rep. Raul Angelo “Jil” Bongalon today said he strongly supports the proposal to pass a supplemental budget to address the P9-billion deficit in the Pantawid Pamilyang Pilipino Program (4Ps) that resulted from the P13-billion slash made by Sen. Imee Marcos in the program’s 2023 funding.

Bongalon said he is backing Deputy Speaker and Quezon Rep. David “Jay-jay” Suarez’s proposal to bridge the gap in the 4Ps that has left 843,000 families or 4 million poor Filipinos without allocation in the program.

“I strongly support this proposal to address the P9-billion deficit in the 4Ps. Batas po itong 4Ps, and we are mandated to fund its implementation. This will give justice to 4Ps beneficiaries who have been deprived of financial aid because of the deficit and the budget cut,” Bongalon said.

It was Bongalon who first accused Sen. Marcos of being behind the budget realignment of P13 billion from the 4Ps in the 2023 national budget when she was head of the Senate finance sub-committee in charge of budget of the Department of Social Welfare and Development (DSWD).

“The longer the deficit stays, the more we deprive these 4 million poor Filipinos of a fighting chance to triumph over poverty. This program is meant to help poor Filipinos for a certain number of years, to help them in their daily needs and sending their children to school,” Bongalon expressed.

If there is a gap in the grant of 4Ps funding to poor Filipino families, Bongalon continued, the objective of the law is not realized and it will fail to reduce the poverty incidence in the country.

He made reference to Republic Act (RA) No. 11310 or the Pantawid Pamilyang Pilipino Program (4Ps) Act and said this law’s objective is to reduce poverty incidence in the country.

“Imagine a family na nakakatanggap ng 4Ps tapos biglang nawalan noong 2023 at 2024 dahil sa deficit. Paano na ang mga anak nilang nag-aaral? Titigil ba sila dahil walang pondo para sa kanila? Hindi tumitigil ang gastos at pangangailangan ng ating kababayan, kaya dapat natin itong lutasin,” the lawmaker from Bicol said.

Earlier, Suarez said he proposed that the House of Representatives pass a supplemental budget to address the P9-billion deficit created by Sen. Marcos’ realignment of the 4Ps budget in 2023.

He described the said realignment in last week’s hearing of the House Committees on Public Accounts and Social Services on the privilege speech delivered by 4Ps Partylist Rep. JC Abalos as akin to stealing from poor Filipino families.

“Ayun ang malungkot. Ngayon hindi ko alam kung paano natin ilalarawan ang isang sitwasyon na ninakawan natin ang isang mahirap. Kasi kalimitan, ang mga mayaman ang ninanakawan,” Suarez earlier said.

“Kaso lang hindi dapat ninanakawan ang mahihirap. Kasi wala na nga silang pera … Tatanggalan pa natin sila ng dapat nilang matanggap. Hindi kaya ng sikmura ko ‘yan,” he added. “Dapat ‘yung matatanggap nila buwan-buwan, natatanggap nila. ‘Yung assistance na dapat matanggap nila, natatanggap nila. Kasi oras na may pagkakataon na mayroong puwang o may gap doon sa buwan na hindi nila natanggap, pwedeng lumala yung level ng kahirapan nila.”

In last week’s hearing of the House Committees on Public Accounts and Social Services on the privilege speech delivered by 4Ps Partylist Rep. JC Abalos on the said realignment, the Department of Social Welfare and Development (DSWD) confirmed the existence of the P9-billion deficit.

Also, DSWD Sec. Rex Gatchalian made a confirmation on Sen. Marcos’ realignment of P13 billion in 2023 that was supposed to be for the 4Ps but was given to programs such as CALAHISIDS, AICS, quick response to calamities.

Suarez said that when the 2023 national budget was approved in the House of Representatives, the 4Ps funding was complete and intact.