THE chair of the House committee on appropriations has filed a bill seeking to extend the validity of this year’s P4.5 trillion national budget until the end of 2022 due to the delays caused by the COVID-19 pandemic.
Rep. Eric Yap (PL, ACT-CIS) filed House Bill (HB) No. 10373, saying “there are still programs, projects, and activities funded by the 2021 General Appropriations Act (GAA) that are yet to be implemented until now.
“It’s very much needed by the Filipino people, especially those in the most vulnerable sector,” he said. “The bill seeks to extend the availability of the 2021 national appropriations from December 31, 2021 to December 31, 2022. This is to allow the agencies to fully utilize the allocated budget for 2021 to implement government programs and projects and to ensure that the intended beneficiaries of these basic services are reached.”
The measure, which seeks to amend for such purpose Section 62 of the general provisions of Republic Act 11518 or the 2021 GAA, is set to be tackled by the appropriations panel on Wednesday.
Yap said the 2021 national budget is not only focused on the administration’s priority programs “but also to guarantee a strong response against the pandemic.”
“The GAA of 2021 centers on the philosophy that more than our priorities for a responsive and dynamic governance, the focus of our resources shall also be directed to the most urgent priority — to reset our momentum and action, rebound from the devastating effects of the pandemic on the health and economy, and fully recover from current and continuing impacts of the crisis,” Yap said.
Yap said the pandemic did not only slow down socio-economic growth and development but also “brought disruptions in the operations of government, which then caused delay in the release and issuances of budget allocations.
“Nearing the end of the year, there are still programs, projects, and activities funded by the 2021 GAA that are very much needed by the Filipino people, especially those in the most vulnerable sector,” he said.
Interior Secretary Eduardo Año asked the Senate to reconsider its decision to slash by P24 billion the proposed budget of the National Task Force to End Local Communist Armed Conflict (NTF-ELCAC).
Año urged the Senate to restore the proposed P28.1 billion NTF-ELCAC budget so they can fund the Support to the Barangay Development Program (SBDP), which calls for the construction of farm-to-market roads and other infrastructure projects in areas formerly infested by communist rebels.
Año, a key member of the NTF-ELCAC, said the SBDP “is a game-changer in our battle to end communist terrorism in the country.”
He said the fight against the communists is gaining momentum and slashing the NTF-ELCAC’s budget will send a wrong signal, especially to local government units that have been expecting development projects under the SBDP.
“We must remember that the battle against the CTGs (communist terrorist groups) is not just a battle of arms, it’s also a battle for the hearts and minds of our people,” said Año.
“The proposed projects under the SBDP which were identified by the community residents themselves represent their collective aspiration towards genuine peace and development,” Año also said. — With Victor Reyes
