What Corruption, Sen. Pacquiao? DSWD Denies Missing Ayuda Funds

The Department of Social Welfare and Development on Monday denied Sen. Manny Pacquiao's claims that some P10.4 billion in ayuda or pandemic cash aid was missing, adding it had documents to prove transparency.

All funds used in the social amelioration program are supported by liquidation reports, DSWD Sec. Rolando Bautista said, noting that his department was prepared for any investigation on the matter.

"Nais lang namin ipabatid na ang lahat ng pondong ibinigay sa mga financial service providers ay accounted for at walang mga nawawalang pondo. Ang lahat ng mga ayudang pinamahagi ay sinuportahan ng mga liquidation reports," Bautista told reporters.

"Handa ang aming departamento na harapin ang anumang imbestigasyon at isumite ang anumang kinakailangan na dokumento upang bigyang linaw ang alegasyon ni Sen. Manny Pacquiao," he said.

Pacquiao over the weekend claimed he had evidence of corruption in the government's cash aid program and would seek a Senate investigation on the matter.

The fighting senator, who has been the target of President Rodrigo Duterte's latest tirades, said 1.3 million of the supposed 1.8 million recipients were not able to get aid via mobile wallet Starpay even though government records showed that they got the cash assistance.

Starpay is among the electronic channels used by the DSWD for the distribution of cash aid last year along with GCash, RCBC, Robinsons Bank, PayMaya, and Unionbank.

Duterte's spokesperson Harry Roque on Monday said Pacquiao's latest corruption claim was a watusi relative to an atomic bomb. "Walang kwenta kasi purong generalized allegations," Roque said.

The Presidential Anti-Corruption Commission said Monday it had long been investigating supposed irregularities in the cash aid program. 

Greco Belgica, chairman of the PACC , said the body had been looking into some  9,000 complaints of supposed corruption in the aid program but noted that allegations of irregularities are "nothing new."

"Yung mga SAP allegations po na narinig natin sa kanya ay matagal na po natin iniimbestigahan," Belgica said in a public briefing.

Pacquiao is currently out of the country to prepare for an upcoming boxing match in the United States in August.

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