Ako Bicol Rep. Elizaldy Co – Photo from House of Representative FB page

MANILA, Philippines — Ako Bicol Rep. Elizaldy Co has held the Ayuda sa Kapos ang Kita Program (Akap) — a form of assistance to lower middle income families — in high regard, claiming it is an example of transparency in government due to its high utilization rate.

Co, chairperson of the House of Representatives’ committee on appropriations, said this on Thursday after the Department of Social Welfare and Development (DSWD) announced that almost five million beneficiaries got help through Akap, and that the program has reached 99.31 percent utilization rate.

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READ: DSWD: Nearly 5M Filipinos got help thru Akap; 99% of funds used 

The budget carrier on Wednesday said it received an A320neo (new engine option) at the Ninoy Aquino International Airport (Naia) on Sept. 13. Cebu Pacific was to receive a total of 18 aircraft this year.

The Pangilinan-led telco player is set to pay the complainants $3 million in total. “The settlement contains no admission of liability, fault or wrong doing by any defendant,” the company said in a statement on Thursday.

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The Office of the Vice President (OVP) under Vice President Sara Duterte however appeared to catch strays from Co, as he criticized the utilization rate of confidential funds (CFs) and other programs.

“Akap is a clear example of how government funds should be used—efficiently and without corruption,” Co said in a statement.

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“Do we want confidential funds like those in Davao City, DepEd or Office of the Vice President under VP Sara Duterte which were riddled with 100% corruption, or programs like Akap with zero corruption?  Those who oppose loudly sometimes are those not doing anything to help the people. Akap directly addresses inflation and uplifts the lives of our countrymen, especially the near-poor,” he claimed.

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Aside from this, Co also asked if confidential funds were used for extrajudicial killings (EJKs) — an issue pitted against Duterte’s father, ex-Davao City mayor and former president Rodrigo Duterte, as the drug war was supposedly implemented without regard for human rights.

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“If we can achieve this now, why wasn’t it done before? Where did the money go? Napunta ba ito sa (Did it go to) confidential funds or 27,000 na extrajudicial killings?” he asked.

“The Filipino people deserve justice for those who were wronged.  Huwag nating ilihis ang usapan. Kailangang panagutin ang mga responsable sa pag-abuso sa pondo ng bayan at pagkawala ng mga inosenteng buhay,” he added.

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(Let us not divert the discussions.  We need to hold accountable the people responsible for abusing public funds, and those behind the loss of innocent lives.)

INQUIRER.net has contacted OVP officials for their side of the issue, but they have not responded as of posting time.

Earlier, DSWD said that 99.31 percent of the P26.7 billion funds allocated to Akap have been utilized — including a 100 percent utilization rate for Cagayan Valley (Region 2), Davao Region (Region 11) and Caraga (Region 13).

Under the Akap, individuals earning P23,000 or less but who are not recipients of other government interventions may get a one-time aid of P5,000.

“The Akap program has demonstrated strong impact with Php26.157 billion in funds, or 99.31 percent utilization rate, from the total Php26.7 billion budget allocation for 2024,” Social Welfare Assistant Secretary Irene Dumlao noted.

Akap was one of the items under the 2025 national budget which were criticized, as many observers believed it can be used for politicking especially with the country months away from the midterm elections.  Former Finance undersecretary Cielo Magno said that Akap is being merely used by lawmakers for “political gain.”

READ: Ex-Usec: Akap still susceptible to ‘politicking’ 

Social Welfare Secretary Rex Gatchalian however assured the public that Akap will not be affected by politics as it is the DSWD’s staffers that receive and verify requests for aid — with or without referrals from lawmakers and local government unit officials.

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READ: DSWD: Akap beneficiaries don’t need political backers 

Vice President Duterte meanwhile is facing several accusations of misuse of public funds, stemming from the CF allocations.  During one of the House committee on good government and public accountability hearings on the issue, it was revealed that some of the acknowledgement receipts (ARs) for the CFs were signed by a certain Mary Grace Piattos.

Antipolo 2nd District Rep. Romeo Acop observed that the name Mary Grace Piatos has a first name similar to a coffee shop, and a last name of a famous potato chip brand.

READ: No PSA records of 400 names in DepEd secret fund’s receipts – solon 

Later on, Lanao del Sur 1st District Rep. Zia Alonto Adiong showed two ARs — one for OVP and another for the Department of Education (DepEd) — which were both received by a certain Kokoy Villamin.  However, the signatures and handwriting of Villamin differed.

READ: House probe: OVP, DepEd CFs received by same man, different signatures 

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The Philippine Statistics Authority (PSA) eventually said that the names Mary Grace Piattos and Kokoy Villamin do not exist within their live birth90jili, marriage, and death registry.  Furthermore, PSA said that they have no records of the more than 400 names on the ARs for the DepEd’s CFs.

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