Gov’t priority set on social services, infra spending: DBM

The Department of Budget and Management (DBM) said in a statement Friday that the proposed 2019 national budget gives priority to social services, particularly education and infrastructure projects nationwide. (Photo by Storm Crypt/Flickr, CC BY-NC-ND 2.0)

MANILA — The Philippine government continues to invest in areas that ensure future economic gains, such as human capital development and public infrastructure.

The Department of Budget and Management (DBM) said in a statement Friday that the proposed 2019 national budget gives priority to social services, particularly education and infrastructure projects nationwide.

Last Monday, President Rodrigo Duterte approved the proposed PHP3.757 trillion cash-based budget for 2019.

The allocation for education remains on top of the list with the proposed budget for next year set at PHP659.3 billion, 12.3 percent higher than this year’s cash-based budget of PHP587.1 billion.

The amount will be channeled to the Department of Education, Commission on Higher Education, Technical Education and Skills Development Authority, and state universities and colleges.

The planned cash-based spending for the Department of Public Works and Highways in 2019 also grew 68.3 percent to PHP555.7 billion from PHP330.2 billion this year.

“We are sticking to our plan of focusing on Build Build Build and social services,” Budget Secretary Benjamin Diokno said.

“These are the priorities we identified as early as the beginning of our term, and we will see to it that investments on these sectors are sustained,” Diokno added.

The government expects higher infrastructure spending to spur nationwide economic growth and towards attaining the Duterte Administration’s gross domestic product (GDP) growth target of 7 percent to 8 percent.

Boosting social services spending — particularly education, healthcare, and social protection — will likewise help the country sustain its growth momentum in the long run by having a competitive workforce.

In April, the World Bank Group noted that investments in social services and public infrastructure will not only sustain high economic growth, but will help achieve inclusive growth as poor and vulnerable families get better access to job opportunities.

Meanwhile, other departments with the highest allocation in the 2019 budget are the Department of the Interior and Local Government with PHP225.6 billion; Department of National Defense with PHP183.

4 billion; Department of Social Welfare and Development with PHP173.3 billion; and Department of Health with PHP141.4 billion.

Completing the top 10 offices with the highest budget next year are the Department of Transportation with PHP76.1 billion; Department of Agriculture with PHP49.8 billion; the Judiciary with PHP37.3 billion; and the Autonomous Region in Muslim Mindanao with PHP32.3 billion.