MANILA: The Commission on Elections (Comelec) has stopped the release of funds for the conditional cash transfer (CCT) programme of the government during the campaign period for the October 28 polls.
The Comelec, Department of Social Welfare and Development (DSWD) and the Department of the Interior and Local Government (DILG) also agreed yesterday to penalise candidates who would be proven to have used the CCT programme to gain undue advantage in the polls. Comelec Commissioner Grace Padaca said the law prohibits the release of public funds during the campaign period. She said that starting October 18, there would be no more releases for the programme, which covers the health and education of 3.9m families nationwide. “Within the 10-day campaign, those releases that have yet to start will not be allowed,” Padaca said. The Philippine star
