THE Commission on Human Rights (CHR) slashed its operating expenses in 2020 by P73.85 million in response to the government’s appeal for all agencies to save portions of their budgets to help provide funding for COVID-19 response.
A breakdown of the agency’s maintenance and other operating expenses showed the biggest cuts were made in CHR’s spending for foreign and local travels; training and scholarship; consultancy services; and confidential, extraordinary and miscellaneous expenses.
From P38.12 million in 2019, the commission’s local travel expenses went down to just P11.56 million in 2020 or a difference of P26.56 million.
Foreign travels also decreased to P1.667 million from P10.98 million — a P9.31 million drop — over the same period.
“The significant decrease of P26,564,945.43 and P9,310,962.11 from CY2019 in the Traveling Expenses-Local and Foreign, respectively, was due to the suspensions of travel of employees and officers in conducting and attending seminars outside Metro Manila and other countries in compliance to NBC No. 580 (Adoption of Economy Measures in the Government due to Emergency Health Situation),” the CHR management said.
The Department of Budget and Management issued NBC No. 580 on April 22, 2020 invoking the authority of the Office of the President to exercise emergency measures to respond to the health crisis.
Citing the duration and the scale of the COVID-19 pandemic, it reminded all government offices to support government efforts to fund public health programs by suspending all non-urgent activities to generate savings in their budgets.
Among the specific expense items identified in the DBM circular for deferment were purchase of service vehicles, new construction or renovation of structures that are not immediately necessary, foreign and local travels, conduct of celebrations/ceremonies or sports activities, hiring of non-essential consultants or job order personnel.
Mandatory savings on the consumption of supplies like fuel as well as water and electricity were also mandated.
