House panel concludes budget hearings

MANILA, Philippines — After 15 days, the House committee on appropriations concluded yesterday the hearings on the proposed funding allocations of government agencies under the National Expenditure Program (NEP) for 2023.

Next week, the plenary debates on the budget proposals shall begin. Last to face the panel was the Department of Public Works and Highways (DPWH), headed by Secretary Manuel Bonoan, who briefed the panel on its proposed P718.36-billion budget.

“The DPWH budget, although last to be taken up, is certainly not the least in terms of magnitude and contribution to economic growth,” said Marikina City 2nd District Rep. Stella Luz Quimbo, the committee’s senior vice-chair.

During the hearing, Bonoan was met mostly with parochial concerns of the lawmakers – from potholes on the roads to unfinished flood control projects and slow-moving construction of bridges.

In his presentation, the DPWH chief said that while their proposed budget under the 2023 NEP is bigger than the P686-billion allocation in the 2022 NEP, it is actually lower by nine percent than the P786.6-billion they got under the General Appropriations Act (GAA) of 2022. Of this amount, some P288.61 billion was earmarked for highway projects, while P168.9 billion was allocated for flood control.

In her interpellation, Deputy Minority Leader France Castro of ACT Teachers party-list questioned Bonoan about alleged syndicates within the DPWH that get to choose which contractors implement its projects.

Bonoan said he would investigate this anomaly and make accountable those responsible for corrupt acts. “On my watch, please tell me if (there is) anybody who has actually done this and I (will fire) him immediately,” he said.

Iloilo Rep. Janette Garin, committee vice chair, also asked if the issue of “duplication” of projects and funding is possible under the DPWH’s proposed budget.

Bonoan dispelled the possibility of such redundancy, citing the geo tagging system in place whereby the DPWH could detect if any project or its funding is duplicated.

Upon his assurance, the DPWH would have projects funded by local government units (LGUs) reflected in their geo-tagging system.

Meanwhile, Quimbo stressed that “improved investment in public infrastructure will directly contribute an additional five to six percent in gross domestic product (GDP) over the next 15 years,” citing a 2016 study of the International Monetary Fund.

“Infrastructure projects generate jobs, income and opportunities to Filipino. When completed, they allow for an efficient and smooth flow of products and services,” the economist-lawmaker said.

Harping on the “multiplier effect” of infrastructure development, she noted that the National Economic and Development Authority (NEDA) estimates spending on such projects from 2017 onwards would contribute nearly P1.3 trillion to the economy, or 4.9 percent of GDP by 2022.

DepEd budget

A motion to restore P6.1 billion slashed from the proposed Department of Education (DepEd) budget for 2023 has gained popular support in the House of Representatives after a Mindanaoan congressman argued its use for repairs of classrooms damaged by typhoons and earthquakes.

Cagayan de Oro 2nd District Rep. Rufus Rodriguez filed a motion to restore the amount snipped off by the Department of Budget and Management (DBM) from the proposed P86.4-billion allocation for DepEd and defended it at last Thursday’s budget hearing for next year.During the hearing, Rodriguez lamented the DBM’s decision to cut the DepEd budget which, consequently, left nothing for the construction and repair of classrooms in Cagayan de Oro.“Let me remind everyone in this room that there is a mandate from the Constitution. Article 2 of the Constitution provides for the Declaration of Principles and State Policies, Section 17, the state shall give priority to education,” he said.Also present at the hearing were Vice President and Education Secretary Sara Duterte and other DepEd officials who had originally sought P6.7 billion for classroom repairs, but only got the DBM to endorse P1.5 billion for the purpose.

“Our learners cannot be under the mango trees! We need to have classrooms; that is the first requirement to having quality education in all levels,” said Rodriguez.“Cagayan de Oro City badly needs 169 new classrooms and 297 additional teachers for 2023. These are the figures given by DepEd-10 Regional Director Art Bayocot and CDO Supt. Cherry Mae Limbaco,” he added, citing the destruction wrought by past typhoons and earthquakes on school facilities. Rodriguez also raised concern about the shortage of teachers in all districts. He moved for the restoration of the budget to hire more teachers as needed to ensure that all districts and schools will have an adequate number of teachers.

Finally, the Mindanao lawmaker strongly called on the committee and his colleagues to “unite and use the power of the purse to move for the additional budget of the Department of Education.”

Rodriguez received much applause from members present during the hearing after his interpellation.

Expressing her gratitude to the congressman for “passionately expressing the sentiments of the Department of Education,” Duterte said: “You are loved, sir, by the Department of Education.”

In a related development, the Philippine Business for Education (PBEd) is urging Congress to prioritize education system recovery.

“Much is at stake, and we cannot address our learning losses without sufficient resources. The government must also equip our teachers with the right skills and training and focus on programs that are student-centered,” PBEd executive director Lovelaine Basillote said during deliberations for the proposed 2023 budget.

While the proposed 2023 budget for basic education is higher than in the previous year, PBEd noted that it still does not meet the global standard of six percent of the gross domestic product.

The national government proposed a budget of P709.7 billion for the DepEd next year, up from this year’s P631.7 billion.

But this is lower than the agency’s original request of P848 billion.

During the budget hearing, Duterte stressed the need for additional budget to address perennial problems in the education sector.

“All hands must be on deck to help bring the country out of this crisis. The government must act quickly and invest not only in quality basic education but also in nutrition and life-long opportunities,” said Basillote.

“The private sector and organizations such as PBEd can help bridge the gaps and provide the government the needed support in order to improve our education system,” she added. – Gerry Lee Gorit, Janvic Mateo