Protect the poor, Aquino told

A FORMER government official has called for more social protection for the poor under the newly installed Aquino administration.

During the 14th National Press Forum held last June 24 at Diamond Hotel in Manila, Karina Constantino-David said the social protection budget for the poor was less than 0.5 percent of gross domestic product (GDP) in the Philippines, compared to two percent of GDP in Malaysia and more than three percent of GDP in Latin American countries.

GDP refers to the amount of goods and services produced by a country.

Click here for Election 2010 updates

David, former chairperson of the Civil Service Commission of the Philippines (CSC), recommended the expansion of the conditional cash transfer program of the government to help the poor which, she said, have been growing in number despite the economic growth touted by the Arroyo administration.

Under the Department of Social Welfare and Development’s Pantawid Pamilyang Pilipino Program, very poor families are given P500 a month for at most five years for their health expenses, provided the families meet requirements, like the pregnant wife having pre-natal checkups and parents attending parenting sessions.

P300 monthly

The family can also get P300 a month per school year for every child’s school expenses (up to three children per family) provided their school-aged children stay in school at least 85 percent of the time.

David said the program, which is serving 700,000 people, is currently costing the government P10 billion.

She also called for universal Philippine Health Insurance Corp. (Philhealth) coverage, which President Benigno Aquino III also promised to provide in his inaugural address last June 30.

She suggested that beneficiaries of these two programs be required to present valid National Statistics Office birth certificates, as this would also help the country better count its population.

David said Philhealth could well afford to cover more Filipinos, as it collects P25.6 billion in premiums but releases only P18.1 billion in benefits annually. It now has P95 billion in reserves in the Bangko Sentral ng Pilipinas, she said.

Another priority of government should be to rebuild people’s trust and confidence in the government, and this could be done by the government becoming more transparent in its transactions, such as by posting all transactions on the Department of Budget and Management website, and issuing an executive order ensuring the freedom of information.

The Freedom of Information bill, which would have allowed the public access to official public documents, except for those whose release is deemed to threaten the security of the state, was not passed by the 14th Congress.

“There should be no wastage of resources for signages attributing projects to government officials,” David said.

She said this practice merely reinforces patronage politics.

‘Taga-bigay’

“Why are we thanking them (when they are only) doing their job and the money is ours?” she said.

David said Filipinos should change their view of politicians, from that of “tagabigay (benefactors)” to “tagasilbe (servants).”

She said citizen participation in monitoring the activities of government could also help rebuild trust in government.

When she was at the CSC, she said, the commission received “hundreds of text messages” from citizens after it launched its Text CSC campaign asking the public to text the commission if they saw a car with red plates (meaning a government vehicle) “at night in casinos, night clubs” or other places where it was deemed that a government official is not supposed to be for work.

Some officials were suspended as a result of the campaign, she said.

David said the career service should also be strengthened by, among others, abiding by the eligibility and qualification standards, and stopping the practice of undermining professionalism by making appointments for a position in an acting capacity.

She said that from 2005, former president Gloria Arroyo had appointed “hundreds of people in acting positions, so you can be eased out anytime.”

She also recommended having a measurable performance management system at all levels of government.