Non-performers face budget cut, Angara vows

Sen. Edgardo Angara and the Senate minority want Congress to deny budgetary increases to non-performing agencies and to phase out redundant government programs.

Angara said yesterday Congress must end "an era of entitlement" that allows incompetent government agencies to get automatic budgetary increases.

"There is a need to take a fresh tack, a novel approach to the budget process," he said.

Angara said redundant and irrelevant programs must be phased out to save taxpayers a huge amount of money, which the government can use to generate jobs and enhance production.

"Right now, the budgetary proposals from the executive branch coursed through the inter-agency development budget coordinating committee proposes automatic increases in the budgets of government offices regardless of performance."

Angara said he first made the proposal during last month’s deliberations at the Senate for this year’s national budget.

"Congress should see to it that the scarce resources of the national budget should give priority to performing agencies and relevant programs with deep impact on poverty alleviation," he said.

Angara said the Senate and the House of Representatives have the power to deny automatic budgetary increases to non-performing government agencies.

"Several programs of the state have lost their meaning and relevance and those should be phased out so as to raise additional funds for job-generating and productivity enhancement.," he said.

Non-performing agencies can be phased out without dislocating a single government employee, he added. — Aurea Calica