Senate Approves P3.35 Trillion National Budget Of Duterte Administration For 2017
The Senate passed the P3.35-trillion proposed national
budget of the Duterte Administration for 2017 on third and final reading
Monday, November 28, with P1.420 trillion to go to social services.
The proposed General Appropriations Act for 2017 was approved
with 20 affirmative votes, no negative vote and no abstention. It is also the
earliest time it had passed its version of the national budget in recent years.
“I am proud to present to the Filipino people a Budget for
Change that fully supports the aims of President Rodrigo Duterte and the
well-being of every Filipino,” proclaimed Senate President Aquilino “Koko”
Pimentel III, a known ally of the president.
“It sets bold plans to meet not just today’s needs, but one
that looks beyond 2017, one that contributes to delivering long-term solutions
to the country’s long-term problems,” said Senator Loren Legarda, finance
committee chair.
The biggest beneficiaries of the 2017 budget will be the
following:
Department of Education = P546.62 billion
Department of Public Works and Highways = P443.76 billion
Department of Health = P155.15 billion
Department of Interior and Local Government = P147.58
billion
Department of National Defense = P135.04 billion
Department of Social Welfare and Development = P128.31
billion
Under the budget bill, Legarda said, DepEd and attached
agencies will get the biggest slice of the budget to be used to “finance the
construction of classrooms, hiring of teachers and procurement of instructional
materials.”
The DPWH was also appropriated with a budget that will
ensure infrastructure spending growth “given its indispensable role in poverty
reduction, raising productivity, and in spreading the benefits of economic
growth.”
The DOH’s allocation follows the Senate’s addition of funds
to various offices and programs under the department, including the P3-billion
increase in the PhilHealth’s budget “to ensure that all Filipinos will be
covered by the universal healthcare program.”
The Senate also poured in enough funds to strengthen the
country’s defense and law enforcement capabilities:
Armed Forces of the Philippines = P130.742 billion
Philippine National Police = P111.26 billion
Legarda said the PNP can acquire more personnel and badly
needed equipment such as firearms and equipment in the ongoing war on drugs and
criminality with the budget.
The AFP’s budget, on the other hand, will complement the AFP
Modernization Program, under which P25 billion would be designated for programs
and equipment to improve the country’s counter-terrorism capabilities.
The Senate also proposed the following allocations to
provide additional subsistence allowance for prisoners throughout the country:
Bureau of Jail Management and Penology = P388 million
Bureau of Corrections = P163 million
Meanwhile, to prevent underspending among government
agencies, the Senate included a one-year availability timeframe of
Appropriations under the 2017 General Appropriations Act.
Legarda explained the move was meant to instill a sense of
urgency among government agencies in utilizing their budget to the last peso.
“Our budget is our investment for the future. It is supposed
to construct new mass transport systems, new airports, road systems, and
schools. They are supposed to fund services for the sick and poor; provide
electricity to our people; and build irrigation for our farmers,” Legarda said.
“Underspending simply means missed opportunities. We wish to
encourage that we all work together and provide the people what is due them,”
she added.
Senate Approves P3.35 Trillion National Budget Of Duterte Administration For 2017
Reviewed by Yen
on
November 28, 2016
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