Orphans must receive conditional cash support from the government as it is the state’s constitutional duty to act as a second parent to abandoned children, Senator Alan Peter Cayetano said.
“If we’re allocating P100 billion for the 4Ps (Pantawid Pamilyang Pilipino Program), why not set aside funds for orphans?” Cayetano asked the Department of Social Welfare and Development (DSWD) during the plenary debate on its proposed 2024 budget.
“Blessed pa nga y’ung mga anak ng mahihirap dahil may magulang sila, [samantalang] itong mga orphan walang magulang,” according to him.
The senator said the agency should identify stunted children in orphanages and provide cash support to each of them through the care facilities, on the condition that they attend school and receive regular health check-ups.
“It’s like 4Ps, but instead of supporting individual parents, you’re working with the institutions that care for them,” he explained.
To recall, Cayetano filed Cayetano filed Senate Bill No. 301 in 2022, which seeks to establish a trust fund for abandoned, neglected, or voluntarily committed children. The fund would be managed by the DSWD in partnership with a trust entity.IMT
