MANILA, Philippines – The House of Representatives is expected to approve today the proposed P3.35-trillion 2017 national budget.
This developed as President Duterte has certified the budget bill as urgent.
The certification was transmitted to the House yesterday.
Duterte pointed out “the necessity of the immediate enactment” of the budget bill “to address the need to maintain continuous government operations following the end of the current fiscal year, to expedite the funding of various programs, projects and activities for 2017 and to ensure budgetary preparedness that will enable the government to effectively perform its constitutional mandate.”
The outlay is President Duterte’s first spending measure.
Deputy speaker and Camarines Sur Rep. Rolando Andaya Jr. said yesterday amendments to Duterte’s first budget proposal “were very minimal.”
“We just tried to connect the actual numbers with the President’s budget message,” he told a news conference.
He said he expects major changes to come when the House of Representatives and the Senate reconcile their respective versions of the 2017 outlay.
Davao City Rep. Karlo Nograles, appropriations committee chairman, said the proposed budget for next year was approved in the committee level “in record time.”
He said the speedy approval was a vote of confidence for the President.
Among state agencies, the Department of Education will get the biggest share of next year’s budget with P567.6 billion, followed by the Department of Public Works and Highways with P458.6 billion and Department of the Interior and Local Government with P150.1 billion.
The Department of National Defense will get P134.5 billion, Department of Social Welfare and Development, P130 billion; Department of Health, P94.1 billion; Department of Transportation, P55.5 billion; Department of Agriculture, P45.3 billion; Department of Environment and Natural Resources, P29.4 billion; and Department of Finance, P23 billion.
The health department will lose P30 billion compared to its budget for this year, while the agriculture department will have P3.6 billion less for next year.
Funding for the Department of Labor and Employment was also cut by P5.3 billion to P13.5 billion, while the budget of the Department of Foreign Affairs was slashed by P4 billion, from P20.8 billion to P16.7 billion.
On the other hand, Duterte substantially increased the budget for his own office, from P2.9 billion to P20.030 billion. The increase includes P2.5 billion in intelligence funds and more than P7 billion for representation and entertainment expenses.
A big part of the funding for the Office of the President will be spent for the country’s hosting of the 50th anniversary celebration of the Association of Southeast Asian Nations.
Opposition Rep. Edcel Lagman of Albay lamented that the President reduced funds for “family planning supplies” from P527 million this year to only P165 million in 2017, or by P362 million.
This is contrary to Duterte’s repeated pronouncement that his administration would pursue a “robust” implementation of the Responsible Parenthood and Reproductive Health (RH) Law, he said.
Lagman was one of the authors in the House of the RH bill that became law.