Former House Speaker Alan Peter Cayetano on Tuesday said he is certain the proposed annual distribution of P10,000 cash assistance to every Filipino family should be included in the country’s five-year economic plan.

“We have to be there for our people. Marami, in their own way, nagbabayanihan – nagpapadala ng pagkain sa front liners, [sa] community pantry, nagtututor sa mga batang nahihirapan sa bagong sistema ng DepEd. So, ‘yung P10,000, wala akong doubt sa aking isipan, dapat kasama ‘to sa five-year plan,” Cayetano said in an interview with Aksyon Radyo Cebu on June 22. 

(We have to be there for our people. Many of them are upholding the bayanihan spirit in their own ways by providing food for the frontliners and to the community pantries and tutoring students who are finding the new system of the Education Department difficult. I have no doubt that the P10,000 cash assistance should be included in the five-year plan.)

“Dapat ‘yan minimum three years to five years ay mayroong P10,000 ang bawat pamilyang Pilipino for three reasons: number one, para makabangon at mayroon silang asahan; number two, para walang magutom; and number three, para umikot talaga ‘yung pera sa bawat community,” he noted.

(The minimum number of years for the distribution should be three to five years because of the following reasons: one, to help the people recover from the pandemic; two, so no one has to go hungry; and three, for the money to circulate in the community.)

Cayetano said the distribution of the P10,000 cash assistance would be similar to the Pantawid Pamilyang Pilipino Program of the government.

“Hindi ‘to bago kasi we have P100 billion for Pantawid Pamilyang Pilipino [Program] every year. P100 billion ‘yan. So, dadagdagan mo lang ng another P100-250 billion a year, halos lahat ng pamilya may matatanggap na na ayuda na makakatulong sa atin na makabangon,” he said.

(This is not a new idea, because we already allocate P100 billion every year for the Pantawid Pamilyang Pilipino Program. That is P100 billion, so you only have to add P100-250 billion a year and everyone will receive cash assistance.)

In developing the five-year economic plan, Cayetano said a “neutral” and non-partisan leader should convene the team, citing a former Supreme Court Chief Justice, an economist, or National Economic and Development Authority (NEDA) Secretary Karl Kendrick Chua as examples.

“Ang mas maganda sana kung magiging inclusive ito para nga mawalan ng pulitika, at kahit sinong manalo sa 2022 ay may planong pwedeng pagtulung-tulungan,” he said.

(It would be better if we can make it inclusive to avoid politicking and to help whoever wins the 2022 elections have an inclusive plan.)

“Ang iniiwasan kasi dito [ay] ‘yung crab mentality,” Cayetano added.

(What we are avoiding here is crab mentality.)

He also noted that he and his allies in Congress have been preparing for the creation of the post-pandemic plan, consulting former NEDA chiefs, economists, and experts in various fields.###