State workers to fight CCT even under a new DSWD chief By Gerry Baldo 12/04/2010

State workers to fight CCT even under a new DSWD chief

By Gerry Baldo 12/04/2010
Unions representing government workers are set to fight a protracted battle against the implementation of the P21-billion conditional cash transfer (CCT) of the Department of Social Welfare and Development (DSWD) even under a new secretary in the event that Corazon “Dinky” Soliman is replaced.

The government workers under the group Wage Fight and the National Fede-ration of Employees Associations of the Department of Agriculture (Nafeda) have noted that the CCT would promote mendicancy and could replace a serious job generation scheme to wean the poor away from poverty.

Ferdinand Gaite, convenor of Wage Fight that spearheaded the campaign for higher salary last Nov. 30, slammed Budget Secretary Florencio “Butch” Abad for crafting a budget that took P8 billion from the National Food Authority (NFA) and shifted it to the DSWD that Soliman heads.

Soliman’s department gained a 123-percent budget increase.

Abad, Soliman and Finance Secretary Cesar Purisima belong to the so-called Hyatt 10 that broke away from the Arroyo administration amid speculations that the government would fall following the alleged massive election fraud highlighted by the “Hello Garci” scandal..... MORE

Source:  The Daily Tribune

URL: http://www.tribuneonline.org/headlines/20101204hed5.html