BENEFICIARIES of the Pantawid Pamilyang Pilipino Program (4Ps) will get P200 more monthly subsidy.
“This is to help the "poorest of the poor" adjust to the expected increase of prices of the basic commodities following the implementation of the new tax reform law,” said Aldersey Dela Cruz, assistant regional director for operations at the Department of Social Welfare and Development (DSWD) in Northern Mindanao, disclosing that the additional subsidy will be released to the beneficiaries within the year.
Dela Cruz also pointed out that the government is set to add more 600,000 poor households to the list of 4Ps beneficiaries.
To date, the DSWD revealed that there are about 4.8 million registered households in the country, and 269,480 of these households are in Northern Mindanao.
"This means that more poor families will enjoy these benefits, including our brothers and sisters evacuees in Marawi City, they will be included in the government's implementation of Ambisyon Natin 2040, the Philippine Development Plan, and our Regional Development Plan," Dela Cruz said in a press conference.
For Roel Pedida, a market vendor, the additional P200 is already a big help to his family. He said he receives a total of P1,700 every month, which he said covers his children's educational grant, medicines, and food consumption. With the additional subsidy, he will now receive P1,900.
But Francisco Pagayaman, Kalipunan ng Damayang Mahihirap–Northern Mindanao Region (Kadamay-NMR) president, lambasted the new tax reform law, saying it is a joke.
Pagayaman said while the personal income tax is reduced, the Tax Reform for Acceleration and Inclusion (TRAIN) will affect mostly the poor, who he said, have no personal income tax, but are unknowingly paying value-added tax through buying basic commodities.
"We all know that increased price of fuel leads to increased prices of all products, so the poorest of the poor is the sector who will be most affected. We do not know why this law passed because it is clearly anti-poor, maybe they forgot the poor in their deliberations," Pagayaman said.
He also said the P200 additional subsidy for the 4Ps beneficiaries is not enough to cover how much will the poor spend due to increasing prices.
Pagayaman said they will join protests with other progressive groups to echo their calls to stop the implementation of the TRAIN law. He said they will also protest the possible jeepney phaseout in the city.