MALACAÑANG said it is making sure that the Department of Social Welfare and Development (DSWD) will submit to Congress a full report and accounting of public funds to end all speculations on how millions of taxpayers’ money were spent in the DSWD’s “outing” for street kids and poor folk hauled to the posh Chateau Royale Resort in Batangas province during the papal visit.
“That is already being done in accordance with law, policies and procedures,” Communications Secretary Herminio B. Coloma Jr. said, referring to the reported P4-million- plus cost the DSWD said it spent for six days during the Vatican head’s official visit.
The amount was reportedly used from January 14 to 19, when some 490 street kids, vagrants and homeless families were rounded up by the DSWD purportedly for “evaluation” as potential beneficiaries of the government’s poverty-alleviation scheme under its so-called Modified Conditional Cash-Transfer (MCCT) Program.
Concerned members of Congress earlier sought an inquiry, as well as a full audit, of MCCT, in the wake of reports that the Chateau Royale Resort outing was actually intended to “hide” poor folk prowling city streets for the duration of Pope Francis’s visit last week.
Palace officials said the government is ready to cooperate and present details of the DSWD disbursements, when its officials appear at the upcoming House inquiry.
The government is always open in providing the information requested, Coloma said in Filipino.
We are always open to cooperation, because that’s what exists between the Executive and other branches of the government, Coloma added.
Asked if the Palace had ordered the DSWD to submit a full accounting to clarify how public funds were spent for its purported indigent orientation program during their Chateau Royale outing, Palace Spokesman Edwin Lacierda assured that Social Welfare Secretary Corazon Soliman can sufficiently explain it to the lawmakers.
Soliman has mentioned she is willing to explain it to lawmakers and explain in full the MCCT, which includes the outing, Lacierda said.