Senate receives copy of 2020 national budget

Senate President Vicente Sotto III led the receipt of the 2020 national budget, along with Majority Leader Juan Miguel Zubiri, Minority Leader Franklin Drilon, Finance Committee chair Sonny Angara and Senator Panfilo Lacson. (File photo: Senate of the Philippines/Facebook)

MANILA — The Senate on Tuesday received a copy of the PHP4.1-trillion 2020 National Expenditure Program (NEP) from the Department of Budget and Management (DBM).

Senate President Vicente Sotto III led the receipt of the 2020 national budget, along with Majority Leader Juan Miguel Zubiri, Minority Leader Franklin Drilon, Finance Committee chair Sonny Angara and Senator Panfilo Lacson.

Angara said the budget briefing by the Development Budget Coordination Committee (DBCC) on the proposed 2020 national budget would be held on August 28 and 29.

Angara gave his assurance that the 2020 national budget will be passed on time.

Angara said his goal is to send the proposed 2020 budget to President Rodrigo Duterte for signing before the end of the year.

“We owe it to the people to pass the budget on time. Any delay in the implementation of public programs and the delivery of services is a disservice to them,” Angara said.

Angara also said his panel would ensure that the review of next year’s appropriations would be very “tough and thorough.”

The PHP4.1-trillion proposed a national budget for 2020 is 12 percent higher than the 2019 budget of PHP3.662-trillion.

With the theme “Continuing the Journey to a More Peaceful and Progressive Philippines”, the 2020 budget will fund projects and programs that will continue the journey towards a more peaceful and progressive Philippines.

The DBM said the 2020 budget will continue to support inclusive growth strategies, aimed at accelerating investments in public infrastructure, improving anti-poverty programs, and intensifying employment generation.

The top 10 departments with the biggest allocations are : 1) Department of Education, PHP673 billion; 2) Department of Public Works and Highways, PHP534.3 billion; 3) Department of the Interior and Local Government, PHP238 billion; 4) Department of Social Welfare and Development, PHP195 billion; 5) Department of National Defense, PHP189 billion; 6) Department of Health, PHP166.5 billion; 7) Department of Transportation, PHP147 billion; 8) Department of Agriculture, PHP56.8 billion; 9) The Judiciary, PHP38.7 billion; and 10) Department of Environment and Natural Resources, PHP26.4 billion.

About 37.2 percent or PHP1.52 trillion of the budget will go to social services; 28.9 percent or PHP1.18-trillion to economic services; 18 percent or PHP734.5 billion to general public services; 11 percent or PHP451 billion to debt burden (including net lending); and 4.8 percent or PHP195.6 billion to defense.

The spending priorities are infrastructure development, food security, human capital development, and peace and national security.

The “Build, Build, Build” program will continue to be the flagship program of the Duterte administration’s infrastructure development with a PHP972.5 billion proposed budget, representing 4.6 percent of the country’s GDP.