(Eagle News) — Gabriela party-list Rep. Emmi de Jesus slammed the looming appointment of Army chief Lieutenant General Rolando Bautista as Social Welfare secretary, saying, among others, that the delivery of social protection programs “will be further militarized.”
In a statement, she said the conditional cash transfer program of 4Ps will also “be further aligned to counterinsurgency operations that terrorize poor communities.”
“With a retiring Army chief and ground commander of the destruction of Marawi as DSWD Secretary, social welfare will become social warfare,” she said.
In a speech before Philippine Military Academy alumni on Thursday, Oct. 4, President Rodrigo Duterte announced his plan to appoint Bautista at the helm of the Department of Social Welfare and Development.
Duterte earlier said he would appoint Bautista as National Food Authority administrator after his retirement from the military in October.
Bautista was the commander of the task force that defeated the Maute terrorists that overran Marawi in May last year.
