Senate starts plenary debates on P3.767-T 2018 nat’l budget

FILE: Senator Loren Legarda (Photo: Senate of the Philippines/Facebook)

MANILA — The Senate on Thursday began plenary debates on the proposed PHP3.767 trillion national budget for 2018.

Senator Loren Legarda, chair of the Senate Committee on Finance, sponsored the 2018 General Appropriations Bill (GAB) calling it “a budget that addresses the basics”.

“We fashioned a budget that we believe will translate the soaring rhetoric of our leaders into something solid. It is a budget that addresses the basics,” Legarda said in her sponsorship speech.

Legarda added that the budget is also expected to bring about “inequality-reducing change; increase the country’s growth potential and maintain the foundations for sustainable development”.

She also assured that fine-tuning the budget not only considered the wishes of the Executive Branch but also remained reflective of “the pulse of the people”.

PHP10B for Marawi rehab

Legarda said the 2018 national budget was provided with a PHP10 billion budget under the National Disaster Risk Reduction and Management (NDRRM) Fund.

It also has a PHP500 million subsidy for a loan facility for Marawi residents, under the auspices of the Land Bank of the Philippines (LBP).

The senator pointed said this is a zero-interest loan facility that Marawi residents can avail for the repair or reconstruction of damaged homes.
Moreover, there is a PHP5 million allocation under the Mindanao State University (MSU) for cultural mapping of the intangible and tangible heritage — all memories and materials left by the war that engulfed Marawi.

PNP keeps P900-M budget

Legarda said that the Philippine National Police (PNP) will still get to keep its PHP 900 million budget for its campaign against illegal drugs despite public criticism on its links to the rise in the number of extrajudicial killings.

“Despite the criticisms and the public ire hurled against the PNP, we support its funding needs because only through this can we really make them more well-equipped, efficient, and effective,” Legarda said.

Her committee also provided PHP100 million for the purchase and installation of closed-circuit television (CCTV) for the PNP Command Center, as well as an initial PHP50 million for the acquisition of body cameras for police officers in highly-urbanized areas.

Meanwhile, PHP47.734 million was also set aside to finance the upkeep of the PNP Women and Children Center.

These are all part of the PNP’s PHP1.9 billion budget which Legarda said would hopefully improve the police-to-population ratio.

Meanwhile, the Philippine Drug Enforcement Agency (PDEA) was given an additional PHP1.2 billion budget for its operating requirements.

Anti-poverty allocations

A total of PHP40 billion was allotted for the Universal Access to Quality Tertiary Education Act, which would pave the way for free college education in all of the country’s state universities and colleges (SUCs), local universities and colleges (LUCs) and state-run technical-vocational institutions, Legarda said.

Meanwhile, an additional PHP10 million was provided for capital outlay and free Wi-Fi for all SUCs, and a PHP770 million allocation to help Department of Education (DepEd) increase teacher’s chalk allowance.

The Conditional Cash Transfer (CCT) of the Department of Social Welfare and Development (DSWD) was provided with PHP89.408 billion, of which PHP31.68 billion is for rice subsidy.

An additional PHP2 billion has also been set aside for the DSWD’s Protective Social Welfare Program for the repair, rehabilitation, and construction of all its centers nationwide.

Meanwhile, a PHP270-million budget goes to Early Childhood Care and Development/Nutrition Package for the First 1000 Days have been set aside under the National Nutrition Council that will benefit the 16,419 barangays worst-hit by malnutrition.

Special provision

Legarda said her committee had included a special provision that requires all government agencies with infrastructure projects to post on their official websites the status of such projects, including geo-tagged photos, contractors’ names, projects’ cost and location, and projects’ start and the target date of completion.

She expressed hope that through the 2018 budget, “real change” among the 21.9 million poor Filipinos — the farmers, fisherfolks, and children would take effect.

The senator is also hopeful that agencies will be able to immediately address the challenges that hinder them from fully utilizing their budget.

Prior to plenary debates, the budget has been through 48 hearings, 10 technical working group meetings, several budget briefings, and a comprehensive discussion at the Development Budget Coordinating Committee level.