President Rodrigo Duterte is considering Efren Peñaflorida, recognized for his pushcart classrooms, as head of the commission tasked to address the concerns of the urban poor. “PRRD (Duterte) has expressed his desire to appoint somebody who hails from the poor and marginalized sector to the Presidential Commission for the Urban Poor (PCUP),” Roque said. Duterte earlier said he fired all commissioners of the PCUP, saying they failed to perform the agency’s mandate as a collegial body. According to its mandate under Executive Order 82, the PCUP serves as the direct link of the urban poor to the government in policy formulation and program implementation addressed to their needs. Ridon earlier said the PCUP commissioners’ foreign travels were meant to represent the government and give voice to the urban poor in international conferences.

Source: Manila Times December 16, 2017 11:03 UTC