By HANNAH L. TORREGOZA
Makati Mayor Jejomar Binay criticized the administration’s move to allocate at least P100 billion to provide scholarships for poor Filipinos citing that the project will burden the already cash-strapped, huge fiscal deficit of the government.
Binay said this after President Gloria Macapagal Arroyo recently launched the "Iskolar ng Mahirap na Pamilya" program that aims to provide college or vocational scholarship to indigent families in a campaign sortie in Biñan, Laguna.
"This program would require the administration to produce a staggering amount of money. They are playing a cruel joke on poor Filipinos. Where will they get the money for this program?" Binay said.
The mayor further implied that the President’s directive will raise false hopes among the poor.
"The administration is showing a lacking sense of fiscal discipline and disregard for the long-term impact of its election-related gimmicks," Binay pointed out.
Binay computed that for one child per beneficiary family, the program would require P
100 billion for children enrolled in two-year courses and P200 billion for those enrolled in four-year courses.
The Makati mayor further enthused that if the government is really after the welfare of the poor, it should have prioritized giving a bigger budget for the Department of Social Welfare and Development (DSWD).
The President issued the executive order to complement the "Safe 4 SR (Student Assistance Fund for Education for a Strong Republic), that will give access to education, especially the poorest of the poor.
Arroyo fleshed out the program as her administration’s desire to make education a top priority.
However, Binay contested Arroyo’s move. "The so-called scholarship program is not a sincere gesture for the poor but an expensive election-related gimmick," Binay said.
