DSWD asked to justify P30-B ‘Dinky doleouts’ 09/21/2010

DSWD asked to justify P30-B ‘Dinky doleouts’
09/21/2010
Members of the upper chamber have directed the Department of Social Welfare and Development (DSWD) to justify the P30-billion increase in its budget next year, intended for the Aquino administration’s dole-out program.

Social Welfare Secretary Corazon “Dinky” Soliman, during the Senate’s budget hearing, was told to present documents as to how the government intends to carry out the conditional cash transfer (CCT) program that is said to have caused the increase of the department’s appropriations for 2011 by 123 percent.

Sen. Francis “Chiz” Escudero joined those questioning what some of his colleagues noted as “lopsided” spending priorities of President Aquino in the proposed P1.6-trillion national budget for next year.

The lawmaker raised a howl over the cuts in the appropriations of 55 government hospitals across the country which will have a combined slash of over P1 billion.

For one, Escudero said, “overstretched hospitals” need cash transfers as much as poor do.

“Putting more beds, doctors and medicines in hospitals is as much as a pro-poor initiative as putting money in their pockets,” he added..... MORE

Source:  The Daily Tribune

URL: http://www.tribuneonline.org/headlines/20100921hed6.html