The Department of Social Welfare and Development (DSWD) has been urged to conduct a follow-up investigation into the allegedly missing P7 billion worth of government emergency cash aid which was transferred to a service provider for distribution.
Senator Imee Marcos made the call at the Senate Committee on Finance hearing on the DSWD’s proposed P194.63-billion budget for 2023.
“Unfortunately, ‘yung experience natin sa DSWD sa digitalization has not been very smooth. Starpay Corporation became quite notorious because until today there’s almost P7 billion missing from the P50 billion originally allocated,” said Marcos, who presided over the hearing.
“Malaki-laki siya e at hindi natin maintindihan yung refund na ‘to pagkalaki-laki. So we’re still looking to investigate. Maybe, we can ask the secretary, meron bang in-house investigation tungkol sa Starpay kasi yung refunds constitutes P6.97 billion until today,” she added.
Social Welfare and Development Secretary Erwin Tulfo said the incident happened before his term.
Marcos said the previous DSWD leadership promised to investigate and committed to submit a report to the Senate in the 18th Congress.
“I will do that immediately, that investigation that you are asking. Give me a couple of weeks and I will give you a report ASAP,” Tulfo said.
It was former Senator Manny Pacquiao who first bared the DSWD’s failure to distribute billions worth of funds under the social amelioration program.
This assistance was intended to cushion the impact of the COVID-19 pandemic to Filipino households.
Pacquiao said the government provided P207.6 billion for the second round of the SAP. Of this amount, Pacquiao said the DSWD routed more or less P50 billion to an e-wallet service called Starpay.
In the 18th Congress, the the senator filed a resolution seeking a Senate investigation into the matter.
Starpay has said that it already liquidated the funds given to them and refunded it through several checks valued at P8.239 billion, which was given to DSWD’s Land Bank account.
The previous DSWD leadership said there was no missing fund the disbursement of financial aid, adding that Starpay refunded the amount for unserved beneficiaries after the partnership was terminated in April 2021. —NB, GMA News
DSWD urged to investigate questioned P6.7-billion cash aid distribution
Source: Balita News
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