2007 budget deadlock resolved

Finally, a new national budget is expected to be signed by President Arroyo this February after a compromise agreement was forged by the Senate and the House of Representatives during the bicameral conference committee discussions on the proposed P1.126 trillion 2007 General Appropriations Act.

Sen. Franklin Drilon, Senate committee on finance chairman, said that after three meetings with his House counterpart Albay Rep. Jose Salceda, the last of which was held yesterday, the two sides have resolved the contentious issue over the P4.7-billion school feeding program.

The budget for the controversial school feeding program caused the deadlock in the bicameral conference committee debates on the 2007 national budget after the Senate rejected the use of imported rice to be distributed to the country’s public school students.

Because of the deadlock, the government is now operating on a reenacted 2005 budget. The budget in 2006 was also the reenacted 2005 budget.

Drilon said the bicameral conference committee agreed to realign the P4.7 billion to finance the construction of new classrooms, hiring of additional teachers and a nutrition program for public school students.

The Department of Education (DepEd) would, in effect, receive an additional P2.613 billion for its school building program to partially finance the classroom shortage for this year.

Under the proposed 2007 budget of the DepEd, a total of 12,226 new classrooms would be constructed under its school building program.

Drilon said the total projected classroom shortage for 2007 is around 20,000 so with the 12,226 classrooms already financed under the proposed budget coupled with the additional 5,400 from the realignment of the feeding program, the actual deficit would be just 2,961 units.

Another P2 billion would be realigned to a new feeding program of the DepEd called the "Malusog na Simula, Yaman ng Bansa Nutrition Program" that would replace the rice distribution proposal under the original 2007 budget.

Drilon pointed out that the new nutrition program would involve the distribution of milk, coco pandesal and vegetable-based noodles in public schools which would be consumed in the schools.

The original school feeding program was criticized by the Senate, primarily because of the use of uncooked rice.

Several senators argued that there is no assurance that the students would actually benefit from the distribution of rice since this would just be brought home to their respective families.

They also objected to the importation of rice because of its impact to local farmers.

In his earlier statements, Drilon noted that the existing feeding program saw the distribution of rice even during vacation days.

Some senators also fear that the proposed feeding program of the House of Representatives would be used by administration congressmen in their campaign for the May 14 elections.

Drilon also announced that another P873 million would be allocated to the DepEd for the hiring of additional teachers.