Whether it was substandard quality rice or polluted water in their wells, the beneficiaries of the government’s Pantawid Pamilyang Pilipino Program (4Ps) in Santa Fe, Bantayan Island, deserve better from the government and the rice traders who were contracted to provide them the rice that they paid P600 for.
While there may be no truth to stories that circulated on social media regarding the substandard rice, complaints from the beneficiaries on the alleged pressure imposed on them to part with P600 of their 4Ps cash subsidy, in exchange for rice coupons to be presented to the rice trader contracted by the government, may be worth investigating further.
This was in contrast to the confirmation from the Department of Social Welfare and Development (DSWD) that the beneficiaries can buy rice from any retailer they wish and not just from rice traders supposedly accredited under the 4Ps program.
According to the beneficiaries, they were not allowed to go out of the co vered court where the cash distribution was held until they pay the P600 given to them in exchange for the rice coupons.
That, aside from Vice Gov. Agnes Magpale’s assertion that there was nothing wrong with the rice samples sent to them by the beneficiaries and that it was possible that the water used to cook the rice was polluted, only highlighted the plight of the beneficiaries who are the poorest of the poor and thus have no choice other than to comply with the wishes of those in charge.
As to who was in charge of the program, no one assumed responsibility, at least for the Santa Fe fiasco. Mayor Jose Esgana said it was the accredited rice traders who took charge of the rice distribution to the beneficiaries and not them.
The DSWD, whose personnel may have allocated the cash to the beneficiaries, denied forcing them to buy from a certain rice trader since they only give the cash and nothing else.
Thus, it was no surprise that some enterprising people took to social media to report the alleged anomaly. That it could have been addressed right there and then without other people having to raise it to social media points to how slow and inert the lumbering government bureaucracy is in implementing their programs.
The mayor bothered to send personnel to double-check only after complaints came out, thinking that the program is under the DSWD and other related line agencies and thus not worth his time.
Still, the fact that the social media posts got the attention of the local government showed that these officials need constant reminding not only to ensure that they don’t give substandard aid but also prevent others from exploiting the aid given to the poorest of the poor for their own benefit.
It’s bad enough that local officials use the distribution of aid to the poor to earn brownie political points without others profiting from it in some way.