Malacañang clarifies that President Ferdinand Marcos Jr. did not reject Senator Alan Peter Cayetano's proposal for P10,000 cash assistance, emphasizing that the bill was first introduced before the current administration took office.
Malacañang Palace issued a statement on Monday refuting Senator Alan Peter Cayetano’s claim that President Ferdinand Marcos Jr. rejected his proposal to provide P10,000 cash assistance to Filipino families. According to Palace Press Officer Atty. Claire Castro, the proposal was initially filed in 2021, prior to the Marcos administration beginning in June 2022. Castro urged the senator to take responsibility for his legislative shortcomings instead of blaming the President for the delayed passage of the bill.
Senator Cayetano has been advocating for the P10,000 cash aid program since the COVID-19 pandemic, reintroducing the measure upon his return to the Senate in 2022. He argued that many Filipinos have yet to fully recover economically and that the budget could support such assistance, noting annual financial aid allocations between P200 billion and P400 billion.
Malacañang dismissed Cayetano’s accusation as unfounded and criticized him for allegedly stirring baseless controversies. The Palace called for accountability and urged the senator to refrain from assigning blame to others. GMA News Online has reached out to Senator Cayetano for comment on the Palace’s statement and will provide updates accordingly.
Sources referenced:
- https://www.gmanetwork.com/news/topstories/nation/995455/palace-rebukes-alan-cayetano-over-claim-marcos-rejected-p10-000-cash-aid-proposal/story/
