Comelec: Government aid belongs to Filipinos, not politicians

FILE PHOTO: Commission on Elections Chairperson George Garcia. INQUIRER / NINO JESUS ORBETA

MANILA, Philippines — The Commission on Elections (Comelec) reminded the public on Thursday that any government aid belongs to every Filipino people, and not from any politician.

“These programs do not belong to politicians, why, are they choosing the beneficiaries?” Comelec chairman George Garcia said in Filipino during a press conference on Thursday.

“[The] DSWD’s [Department of Social Welfare and Development] guidelines should be followed here and not any politician’s guidelines,” he added in Filipino.

Garcia issued the reminder after prohibiting politicians from appearing during the distribution of aid under government programs exempted from the ban on the release, disbursement, and spending of public funds 45 days before the May polls.

The Comelec official also noted that the money used for the implementation of these initiatives came from the Filipino people’s pockets.

READ: Baguio solon refutes mayor’s claim on gov’t aid programs

“For our fellow Filipino that is your money. You have the right to claim it. Therefore, you are entitled to it. We will insist that it does not belong to them (politicians), that is why we monitor, disqualify, and sue,” Garcia said in Filipino.

“This is a fair warning to all, especially agencies distributing the assistance. So that the Comelec will not be blamed and the aid people receive from this exemption will not be used for vote buying,” he added in a mix of Filipino and English.

In a memorandum released on Wednesday, Comelec granted the request of the DSWD to exempt 28 programs from its ban on the release of public funds days before the elections.

Asked how Comelec came up with a list of exempted programs, Garcia said they only have two options — an absolute ban or allow a program’s implementation but with limitations.

“The absolute ban will severely affect poor communities that rely on government aid. In the end, that is their money, so we will not hinder agencies from distributing these programs. The agency will be in charge of the distribution,” he added.

Among the DSWD programs included in Comelec’s exemption are the controversial Ayuda Para sa Kapos ang Kita Program (Akap) and the Assistance to Individuals in Crisis Situation (AICS).

Based on previous reports, Baguio City Mayor Benjamin Magalong claimed that  House Speaker Martin Romualdez’s office was facilitating the disbursement of programs such as Akap, AICS, and the Department of Labor and Employment’s Tulong Panghanapbuhay sa Ating Disadvantaged/Displaced Workers (TUPAD) under a “7-7-7 Ayuda System.”

Under this scheme, Magalong claimed that Romualdez was giving out P7 million per program to lawmakers as a reward for accompanying the House leader on official trips.

Baguio City Rep. Mark Go disputed Magalong’s claims, saying that the local chief executive should just support the initiative.

Go pointed out that these national programs are under specific agencies and not from Romauldez’s office.