Palace to present evidence against Cayetano’s claim Marcos rejected P10K cash aid

Palace Press Officer Claire Castro and Senator Alan Peter Cayetano (RTVM/Senate)

Malacañang has dismissed Sen. Alan Peter Cayetano’s claim that President Marcos rejected a proposed P10,000 pandemic cash assistance program after winning the 2022 elections, accusing the senator of spreading baseless allegations and saying it would present evidence to refute his claims.

In a statement on Saturday, July 18, Presidential Communications Office (PCO) Undersecretary Claire Castro questioned why Cayetano was “creating intrigue and stories without basis” instead of focusing on his responsibilities as a senator.

“Bakit hindi kaya makapagpigil sa sarili si Sen. Alan Cayetano sa paggawa ng intriga at mga kwentong walang basehan (Why can’t Sen. Alan Cayetano stop himself from creating intrigue and stories without basis)?” she said.

Castro said Malacañang would respond to the senator’s allegations with evidence.

“Ebidensya ang ibibigay namin panlaban sa mga kasinungalingan ni Sen. Alan (We will present evidence to counter Sen. Alan’s lies),” she said.

The Palace Press Officer also likened Cayetano’s actions to the political style of former president Rodrigo Duterte, accusing the senator of making promises only for campaign purposes.

“Kuhang-kuha ang style ni dating Pangulong Duterte, mangangako pero para sa pangangampanya lang pala (He has clearly adopted former president Duterte’s style—making promises that turn out to be only for campaigning),” she said.

‘Shifting blame’

Castro also accused Cayetano of passing the blame to others instead of taking responsibility for what she described as his failure to perform his duties.

“Si Sen. Alan, imbis na ituro ang sarili sa kanyang kapabayaan sa pagtatrabaho, magtuturo siya ng iba masagip lang ang sarili sa kahihiyan (Instead of acknowledging his own shortcomings at work, Sen. Alan points to others just to save himself from embarrassment),” she said.

Cayetano earlier claimed in a Facebook livestream that President Marcos rejected his proposal to provide P10,000 in cash assistance to qualified beneficiaries recovering from the pandemic after winning the 2022 presidential election.

The senator also questioned why the administration only expanded its UPLIFT cash assistance program this year and insinuated that the government had first “stolen hundreds of billions” before rolling out the aid, while maintaining that the national budget could have supported a P10,000 assistance program.

The Department of Social Welfare and Development has said distribution of the expanded UPLIFT cash assistance will begin on Monday, with eligible beneficiaries set to receive up to P12,000 over six months depending on their beneficiary category. — Argyll Cyrus Geducos