‘Outdated data’ no reason to scrap CCT probe

AFTER the Asian Development Bank (ADB) released a report of a “high leakage” in the operations of the government’s Conditional Cash Transfer (CCT) program estimated at 19 billion that, it appears, did not reach the intended beneficiaries, the Department of Social Welfare and Development (DSWD) pointed out that the report was based on “outdated 2009 data.”

The ADB did issue a statement later that the “Initial targeting errors have been substantially reduced by the DSWD with advice from the ADB and other partners.” As one of two international banks from which the Philippine government borrows funds for CCT (the other being the World Bank), the ADB reiterated its support for the CCT program.

The claim that the losses have been “substantially reduced” since 2009 should not be an excuse to ignore the finding of leakage in the funds of the CCT. By way of comparison, the case of the 10-billion pork barrel or Priority Development Assistance Fund scam involving Janet Lim Napoles was based on an audit report of the Commission on Audit of pork barrel releases up to the year 2009. That did not stop the Senate from investigating the case and the Department of Justice from subsequently filing charges against three batches of legislators.

It must also be pointed out that the losses in the pork barrel scam were estimated at 10 billion, a huge amount that the government could not ignore and seemed so mind-boggling to the public at the time. The ADB report gave an initial figure of P19 billion – almost twice the pork barrel scam. If, as claimed, the losses have been substantially reduced, by how much? And how many billions more are unaccounted for?

And the DSWD and the ADB might try to explain how the ADB came up with its estimate of a 19-billion leakage based on allegedly outdated 2009 data, when the CCT in 2009, in the closing months of the Arroyo administration, was only 9 billion.

The initial reaction to the ADB report was a call for an investigation made by both majority and independent minority groups in the House. It would be unfortunate if the House now loses interest in looking into the CCT issue, just because of a claim that the losses have been substantially reduced.

If nothing more is heard about a House investigation, the people cannot be blamed for thinking it is because the subject of the probe is a major administration undertaking, bereft of any involvement by any opposition figure – and the election campaign is underway.