‘Politics affect cash aid access’

MANILA, Philippines — Poverty in the Philippines is a heartbreaking inheritance, the Catholic Educational Association of the Philippines (CEAP) said, adding that access to cash aid or “ayuda” and public assistance can become contingent on political affiliation rather than citizenship rights.

“In moments of crisis, assistance meant to be a social safety net is being reframed as a political instrument which is distributed unevenly, timed strategically, and sometimes used to reinforce loyalty rather than reduce vulnerability. In this way, poverty becomes an economic condition tragically influenced by political terrain,” the CEAP said on Facebook Thursday.

The CEAP said injustice is experienced in the daily asymmetries of opportunity, where access to quality education, health care, and dignified work remains unevenly distributed across regions and social classes.

“Recent macroeconomic analysis, such as the De La Salle University Report on the Philippine Economy (May 2026), underscores a sobering backdrop to this reality. The report highlights a significant growth deceleration, with forecasts revised downward to around 3.11 percent for 2026 and further weakening in the following quarters, driven by a combination of global and domestic pressures, including geopolitical tensions affecting energy prices, inflationary spillovers from food and fertilizer costs, and tightening financial conditions,” the Catholic group added.