Proposed P3.35-T ‘budget for change’ in 2017 submitted to PH Congress
Monday proved to be another step towards change as the Department of Budget and Management (DBM) submitted its proposed national budget of P3.35 trillion for 2017, which is an 11.6% increase from the 2016 budget and the highest proposed budget from any administration to date.
BUDGET FOR REAL CHANGE. Budget Secretary Benjamin Diokno hands over the 2017 proposed national budget to House Speaker Pantaleon Alvarez. (Photo by Jhel Ballesteros)
The proposed budget was submitted August 15 to Philippine Congress by Budget Secretary Benjamin Diokno and was received by House Speaker Pantaleon Alvarez along with other members of Congress.
Among those that received the lion’s share of the budget were infrastructure, agriculture, rural development, and peace and order. Dubbed by the administration as “a budget for real change,” it also includes a P20 billion budget given to the Office of the President (OP).
“We are hosting the golden anniversary of Asean which is at P15 billion. This is really under the OP. Once the budget is approved, this amount will be disbursed to various agencies that will need the money for the Asean hosting,” said Diokno when he was asked about the increase to the budget of the OP.
He also dismissed reports of an P80-million allocation per congressman for their projects as “rumors”, adding that “there is no hard and fast rule. For example, a congressman might identify P100 million worth of projects but they are not eligible.”
Highlights
Among the different government departments, the Department of Education (DepEd) got the biggest chunk of the proposed budget. They were given P567.6 billion, a 31-percent hike compared to last year’s P435.9 billion.
The Department of Public Works and Highways (DPWH) is next in line with P458.6 billion, while the Department of Interior and Local Government (DILG) rounded out the top three with P150 billion.
The Armed Forces of the Philippines (AFP) and the Philippine National Police (PNP) also had their allocations increased substantially to support the administration’s war on drugs, criminality, and terrorism.
The AFP was given P130.6 billion to complement its AFP modernization program, while the PNP got P110.4 billion to be used to hire more personnel as well as purchase more guns and patrol vehicles to aid them in their fight against crime.
A P120.5 billion proposed budget for agriculture and agrarian reform also meant that the agriculture sector should see improvements for 2017. The budget is meant to go towards construction of farm-to-market roads, post-harvest facilities and other infrastructure projects, as well as production and marketing of crops, fisheries, and livestock.
Source: Rappler, Inquirer.net, Philstar.com, Manila Bulletin, The Manila Times, GMA News
