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Friday, October 08, 2004
Gov't vows funds for food coupons program
MANILA -- President Arroyo's administration said Thursday it will find funds to finance the food coupon program intended to give temporary relief to families suffering from hunger amid the fiscal crisis the country is now in.
At P1,200 subsidy per family, government will need around P6 billion to feed some five million poor families who were found in a survey to have difficulty putting food on their table.
Social Welfare Undersecretary Celia Yangco said the program could be funded in part by money from the National Disaster Coordinating Council (NDCC) and the National Anti-Poverty Commission (NAPC).
Since Arroyo has approved the supplementary feeding project beforehand, Executive Secretary Eduardo Ermita agreed that a budget should be set aside for this purpose.
He said the P1,200 subsidy per family might not be big but it shows President Arroyo's concern for the poor.
"The resources for socioeconomic relief and reform can come only from an earnest effort to raise revenues," said Arroyo spokesman Ignacio Bunye.
However, government will be grateful for any help that the private sector and local government units could extend.
"Every aspect of the crisis should serve as a rallying point for the nation. This is a transient but vital priority and everyone should pitch in even as we push the larger 10-point agenda for fiscal strength, economic growth and political stability," he said.
A proposal from Sen. Ralph Recto was to distribute to poor families food items confiscated by the Bureau of Customs for being illegally shipped into the country like rice, sugar, canned goods, vegetables and meat.
"We really are in a mess that needs a quick fix. The poor must not be made to wait until a head of the family gets a job and really becomes a breadwinner that he wants to be," he added.
He said thousands of vans of food items, which are in the verge of rotting in customs warehouses, should be distributed immediately once confiscated and seizure proceedings finished.
"Giving these to the poor is an effective deterrent to smugglers who won't get to profit from the contraband once these are given to the poor. Smugglers are known to get hold of goods during customs-managed auctions," he added.
He said the Department of Social Welfare and Development should be assigned to distribute the goods.
However, a militant labor group leader, Elmer Labog of the Kilusang Mayo Uno, said the supplementary feeding program only showed the incompetence of government.
But the Trade Union Congress of the Philippines (TUCP) disagreed, saying the food coupons is one way of addressing the growing poverty and hunger.
"Resolving hunger is a primary responsibility of the government and it should be left to address the problem in any fashion that it can whether through coupon or direct delivery of goods," said TUCP spokesman Alex Aguilar.
While Aguilar agreed that the best solution to arrest poverty and hunger is the creation of more employment for Filipinos, he is convinced that the food coupon program could serve as a stop-gap measure for hunger stalking many Filipino families. (JMR/JPM)
(October 8, 2004 issue)
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