By Junex Doronio

MANILA — Acknowledging that workers with a monthly salary of P23,000 or less are considered near-poor, Speaker Ferdinand Martin G. Romualdez of Leyte and Ako Bicol party-list Representative Elizaldy Co are eyeing to grant them a one-time P5,000 financial aid each under the Ayuda sa Kapos sa Kita Program (AKAP) that has a P60 billion allocation benefitting around 12 million households.

Romualdez stressed the importance of the project as it would extend assistance beyond the marginalized sector, most of whom are covered by the conditional cash transfer program of the government.

“Some salient features of the 2024 budget have made sure, on the part of the House, that this budget will be one in fighting inflation because the prices of goods are increasing, and it will be very much pro-poor. We are very much focused on the social service and social welfare program for the poor,” Romualdez said.

For his part, Co has revealed that AKAP is likely to be fulfilled after the bicameral conference committee approved the final version of the proposed 2024 national budget.

The Ako Bicol lawmaker also bared last week that it would include a P60 billion allocation for AKAP, targeting around 12 million households.

Co, who chairs the House Committee on Appropriations, said that the AKAP, in its goal of fighting inflation, would like to equip near-poor workers with means to buy goods.

“Under AKAP the near poor who earn P23,000 or less would be given social aid. That’s the new program of our administration, of the House under Speaker Martin Romualdez,” Co said.

“More or less around 12 million households are target beneficiaries under this program, which includes construction workers, drivers, factory workers, and the like. More or less P5,000 would be given per person because this is part of our program against inflation.”

Diskarteng Pinoy, a budding regional party in Region 7, hailed the AKAP of Romualdez and Co.

Further clarification with Co’s office showed that funds for the AKAP would be part of the locally-funded projects of the Department of Social Welfare and Development.

“And we actually expanded that definition… We’re trying to expand that to the near-poor, so to speak. We’ll be adding more families. We’ll be more inclusive in that sense. So all the social services will be provided for them,” he added.

Co said the proposed P5.768-trillion national budget for 2024 — which Marcos Jr. on Friday, December 15, said he would sign before Christmas Day — was attuned to the administration’s program for health, infrastructure, and food security.

“Pagkain, trabaho, kalusugan, edukasyon at pabahay – yan ang mga pamana ni Pangulong Ferdinand Marcos, Jr. na bibigyang katuparan sa pamamagitan ng pambansang budget sa 2024 at mga susunod na taon,” Co said

“Food, jobs, health, education and housing – these are the President’s legacy projects to be delivered through the 2024 budget and beyond,” Co said.

(AI/MNM)