Sen. Pacquiao pushes for investigation into missing ₱10.4 billion COVID-19 aid

Senator Emmanuel “Manny” D. Pacquiao on Thursday sought an investigation of missing cash aid funds worth ₱10.4 billion, allegedly due to corruption. 

Pacquiao filed Resolution 779, directing a Senate committee to probe the missing COVID-19 funds that were supposedly released by the Department of Social Welfare and Development for distribution through an electronic wallet. 

Pacquiao questioned the agency’s deal with electronic money issuer Starpay Corp. and highlighted the fact that the majority of the beneficiaries failed to receive their financial assistance—according to government records, only 500,000 out of 1.8 million beneficiaries had managed to download the Starpay app.

“This means around 1.3 million projected beneficiaries were unable to download the said e-wallet application and therefore could not have electronically received through Starpay the subsidy amounting to ₱10.4 billion earmarked for them,” said Pacquiao. 

Pacquiao then cited a need to look into the discrepancy and “untangle the web of corruption” involving the government and Starpay. 

Last week, Starpay said it had liquidated the funds and refunded ₱8.239 billion for unserved beneficiaries.

SOURCE: Business World