P640-M CCT savings to be used to build classrooms

At least P640 million in unused budget for the conditional cash transfer (CCT) program for 2011 will be used to build 2,000 classrooms nationwide, Sen. Franklin Drilon said Monday. Drilon, chair of the Senate finance committee, had earlier questioned the supposedly high overhead cost of the CCT, saying the fund should be realigned to the construction of shelters, classrooms, and daycare centers. The CCT grants monthly stipend of up to P1,400 to the poorest families nationwide. It is part of Department of Social Welfare and Development's Pantawid Pamilyang Pilipino Program (4Ps). In his second State of the Nation Address, President Benigno Aquino III said he expects three million families to benefit from the program by next year. In the proposed P1.8-trillion national budget for 2012, P39 billion will go to the CCT program—an 89-percent increase from the P23 billion allotted for the project this year. In a statement released Monday, Drilon said Social Welfare Secretary Dinky Soliman has agreed to use the savings from the CCT implementation cost for the construction of classrooms nationwide. He said the project has been endorsed by Finance Secretary Cesar Purisima. “This initiative will effectively address our problem of classroom shortage," said the senator. He explained that the project shall be undertaken by the Federation of Filipino-Chinese Chambers of Commerce and Industry Inc. (FFCCCII), which has helped him in building cost-effective public school buildings. He said the Drilon-FFCCCII school-building program has built around 1,400 classrooms nationwide since the project started in 2002. The fund comes from his Priority Development Assistance Fund or pork barrel, he said. Drilon said the cost of building classrooms under the FFCCCII is lower than normal. He said the group can build one building with two classrooms at a cost of P640,000, compared to the government's usual spending of P800,000. Citing data from education officials, he said that there is currently a 66,800-classroom backlog for 2011. - Kimberly Jane Tan/KBK, GMA News