The Department of Social Welfare and Development (DSWD) clarified that the P4.2 billion which Senator Chiz Escudero was quoted to have said as the 2015 proposed budget for the monitoring and evaluation of Pantawid Pamilyang Pilipino Program is actually the proposed overall incremental operating cost of the program for next year.

“The proposed budget for monitoring and evaluation of the program is only P429,298,000 and not P4.2 billion,” DSWD Secretary Corazon Juliano-Soliman explained.

The monitoring and evaluation component covers for the conduct of spot checks, researches, impact evaluations, technical assistance, rapid assessment of existing policies, and consultation dialogues with civil society organizations, and other external partners, among others.

“The output of which are used to further improve the program implementation,” Sec. Soliman added.

Aside from the monitoring and evaluation, other components of the billion incremental operating cost are: Cost of service or salaries of workers: P2,249,168,776; Trainings: P403,664,000; Advocacy/printing: P114,912,876; Administrative cost for office supplies, communications, gas, and utilities: P321,604,373; Financial expenses or fees  for the services of banks, remittance centers, and other conduits which deliver the cash grants to beneficiaries: P700,000,000; and, Capital outlay for equipment: P24,400,000.

Sec. Soliman said the P4.2 billion is just 6.5% of the total 2015 proposed Pantawid Pamilya budget of P64.7 billion.

The Secretary assured that the bulk of the proposed budget is still for the cash grants of beneficiaries.