Taguiwalo denies allegation she diverted DSWD fund to NPA

August 29, 2017

Former Department of Social Welfare and Development (DSWD) Secretary Judy Taguiwalo denied on Tuesday an allegation she used the agency's funds to support the communist New People's Army.

Taguiwalo, whose nomination as DSWD secretary was rejected by the Commission on Appointments, reacted to President Rodrigo Duterte's statement on Monday, citing information the former Cabinet official gave the fund for the Pantawid Pamilyang Pilipino Program (4Ps) or conditional cash transfer to the rebels.

"For the record and for the President's own awareness, not a single peso of the 4Ps program passed through my hands," she said on her Twitter account.

She explained the program funds were directly coursed through the state-run Landbank and its conduits which then make direct payout to the 4Ps' beneficiaries.

"All financial transactions involving the 4Ps program are recorded and COA (Commission on Audit) regularly audits the program," she said.

Taguiwalo said there were insinuations she was rejected by the CA because of the allegation.

"Had PRRD's (Duterte) allies questioned me regarding this issue during the CA hearings, I would have given them answers that are easily verifiable. They could have asked me about this even during the congressional deliberations on the 2018 budget, but they didn't," she said.

She recalled when she was appointed in the DSWD, among her first declarations and actions were to say that the 4Ps program would not be expanding.

She said 4.4 million beneficiary-households of the CCT program did not increase and members of the DSWD Listahan (list) based on a nation-wide assessment of the poor.

The list was in place when she became the DSWD secretary, she said.

"I have done my best as a member of the President's Cabinet and his government and served the people with humility and full transparency. The least I asked of him is to legitimize baseless accusations against me," Taguiwalo stressed.

Duterte has said based on reports he received, Taguiwalo could have used the CCT fund to support the NPA as he cited the pronouncement of Jose Maria Sison, founder of the Communist Party of the Philippines

"However, the fund could have been spent to buy ammunition or arms because of the pronouncement of Sison that they are expanding, that they are recruiting. So therefore, they would need more arms. They can buy, ambush, steal, or extort, whatever," Duterte has said.

Taguiwalo was one of the  three left-leaning Cabinet officials who were recommended by the leadership of the CPP-NPA-National Democratic Front to Duterte. The other two are Agrarian Reform Secretary Rafael Mariano and National Anti-Poverty Commission head Liza Maza.

Mariano is set to face the CA on Wednesday.

Asked of the Palace's expectation on Mariano's confirmation process, Presidential Spokesperson Ernesto Abella said, "we'll just have to trust the decision of the CA." Celerina Monte/DMS