The Senate on Wednesday unanimously adopted a Resolution sponsored by Minority senators honoring the late former Social Welfare Secretary Dinky Soliman, citing her invaluable contributions to the field of social work and the country.
Introduced by Senate Minority Leader Frank Drilon, Senate Resolution No. 913 initially listed as co-sponsors opposition Senators Francis Pangilinan, Risa Hontiveros and detained Senator Leila de Lima, but was later amended to include all Senators from both majority and minority blocs.
In sponsoring the Soliman Resolution, Drilon cited the ex-Cabinet member of the Aquino II administration as “a champion of social justice and democracy who dedicated all her life to social work and activism.”
The Senate Minority Leader recalled that Soliman was defined “by the work she did for the poor, the vulnerable, women, children and the communities she visited as secretary of the Department of Social Welfare and Development (DSWD) and as a community organizer.”
Drilon added: “Dinky, as we called her, will always be remembered in the far-flung barangays and communities. She was the one who launched the Kapit-Bisig Laban sa Kahirapan-Comprehensive and Integrated Delivery of Social Services (KALAHI-CIDDS), a poverty alleviation program which empowered barangays and communities.”
The Senate Minority Leader also acknowledged that “Soliman’s most notable work would probably be what we now know as 4Ps ( Pantawid Pamilyang Pilipino Program), another poverty alleviation program which was initiated by the Arroyo administration but was massively expanded and further developed under President Benigno Aquino III.”
Drilon recalled that under the previous administration’s 4Ps program, conditional cash grants were given to the poorest of the poor to improve the health, nutrition and the education of children aged 0-18.
“I recall fondly Mr. President that I was our chairman of the Committee on Finance that defended the initial increase in the budget of DSWD for the 4Ps program. I must admit I was not too familiar with the 4Ps but the late Dinky Soliman helped me explain the merits of the 4Ps program,” says Drilon.
The Minority leader projects that thousands of beneficiaries will long remember Soliman-era’s DSWD benefit projects .
“Her name will always be remembered whenever a 4Ps family member graduates from elementary, high school and college,” says Drilon. “Let it be known that it was Dinky, and no one else, who gave them a fighting chance in life through the expansion and institutionalization of the 4Ps,” he added.
At the same time, the senator extolled Soliman’s strength and principles, noting that “unlike many officials of today who cling to their positions, Soliman chose integrity over power and influence.”
He recalled that Soliman was one of the cabinet officials known as the “Hyatt 10” who resigned when then President Gloria Macapagal-Arroyo was accused of fraud in the 2004 presidential elections or the Hello Garci scandal.
“Dinky’s passionate and steadfast love to serve the poorest and most marginalized of Filipinos and improve their quality of life should serve as a benchmark for aspiring public servants,” he added.
Paving the way for its unanimous adoption in plenary session, Drilon moved to make all senators co-authors and co-sponsors of the Soliman resolution.
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