Senators on Monday set their sights on another little-known company contracted by the government last year to deliver P50 billion in cash aid to indigent Filipinos, beating large competitors such as GCash and PayMaya and dwarfing the medical supply deals bagged by Pharmally Pharmaceutical Corp.
Lawmakers led by Sen. Manny Pacquiao sought an explanation on how and why Starpay Corp., one of six electronic wallet firms engaged by the Department of Social Welfare and Development (DSWD) to digitally transfer money to beneficiaries under its social amelioration program (SAP), was able to get the lion’s share of the funding.
At a hearing of the Senate finance subcommittee on the DSWD’s 2022 budget, Senators Panfilo Lacson and Francis Pangilinan drew parallels between Pharmally, whose P11.5 billion worth of procurement deals for pandemic supplies in 2020 and 2021 is under scrutiny, and Starpay, which was reportedly having cash-flow problems before it won lucrative government deals.
“I think the question is: Is Starpay the Pharmally of the DSWD or not?” Pangilinan said at one point during the budget hearing.
Pacquiao replied: “I think it’s bigger than Pharmally.”
The senator, who in July alleged that P10.4 billion in SAP funds were unaccounted for, raised several questions about how Starpay was able to corner a P50-billion share of the cash aid for distribution to DSWD beneficiaries despite acquiring a license only in 2018 and declaring a loss in 2019. (©Philippine Daily Inquirer 2021)
