Diokno Says COVID-19 Ayuda Should Be Stopped

The Department of Finance Secretary Benjamin Diokno has expressed that giving out ayuda or financial assistance linked to the pandemic should be halted in light of the country’s limited fiscal space.

Diokno also said that the Philippines has “fully recovered” and see no need to provide more ayuda to poor Filipino households.

Sec Diokno has said that “On the giving of ayuda in relation to the crisis, I think that should already be discounted because we have actually fully recovered and because of the limited fiscal space,”

“The giving out of ayuda in relation to the pandemic is already a waste of public funds,” he adds.

However, Sec Diokno has mentioned that social protection programs and aid for senior citizens should continue.

According to Dioko, the government is deliberating on limiting the ayuda beneficiaries to national ID holders as a way to incentivize the current holders.

“Only those with national ID should be entitled (to ayuda),” says Diokno who adds that the last aid distribution experienced several leakages.

“The PSA (Philippine Statistics Authority) promised that they will produce at least 50 million national IDs by yearend, both printed and in mobile form. The most efficient way to do this is by requiring every citizen to have a national ID,” says Diokno.

IBON Foundation, research, and advocacy group were able to hit the funding cuts in the ayuda program under the record of the proposed 2023 budget of ₱5.268 trillion.

IBON has stated that the budget for 2023 defunds social protection even if millions of citizens continue to suffer the aftershocks of the lockdowns and as economic rebounds eventually fade.

Source: Philstar