Govt asked to make public budget for MDG targets

MANILA, Philippines – An anti-poverty group yesterday asked the Arroyo government to reveal its budget allocation to fulfill its commitment and targets under the United Nations Millennium Development Goals (MDGs).

The Global Call to Action against Poverty (GCAP) posed the challenge to the administration as it expressed doubts on where the government intends to get the money to meet the eight MDGs by 2015, amid consistent shortfall in revenue collections, foreign investments, and steady increase in prices of goods, including petroleum products.

Former national treasurer and current co-convener of Social Watch Philippines (SWP) Prof. Leonor Briones earlier said that domestic resources alone would not be sufficient to meet the MDG targets.

But this early, Joel Saracho, national coordinator of GCAP, shot down possible moves by the government to impose additional taxes for the public to fund the realization of the country’s commitment under the UN’s MDGs.

“We fear that the government may be forced to sacrifice some of the MDGs. It will resort to publicity stunts to appear that they are complying with the targets. The people should be vigilant,” Saracho said.

He said a study by the Philippine Institute for Development Studies (PIDS) showed that the Philippines needs to allot P39.7 trillion for nine years for poverty reduction, universal access to complete primary education, health-related MDGs, and improved access to low-cost water supply and sanitation.

Saracho added that the study, titled “Financing the Millennium Development Goals: The Philippines” authored by Dr. Rosario Manasan, pointed out an expected MDG resource gap of P409.5 billion from 2007-2010, and P778 billion for 2011-2015 period.

“So, where are we getting the money to meet the MDGs? Is the government imposing another tax? The government will be relentlessly punishing the people given the situation we are already in,” he said.

Saracho lamented that the Filipino’s capacity to buy food and other basic needs erode by the day as prices of food and other basic commodities, including “social-sensitive” oil products like diesel and liquefied petroleum gas (LPG), continue to soar every week.  – Katherine Adraneda