THE Senate Committee on Finance yesterday endorsed for plenary approval its proposed P5.768 trillion national budget for 2024, which chairperson Sen. Juan Edgardo Angara said will allocate funding that would support the Marcos administration’s “Bagong Pilipinas” or a New Philippines brand of governance.
“Sa madaling salita Ginoong Presidente, napapaloob sa panukalang badyet ang mga hakbang na nais tahakin ng gobyerno patungo sa isang Bagong Pilipinas, kung saan matatag, maginhawa, at panatag ang buhay ng bawat Pilipino (Simply put, Mr. President, the proposed national budget contains funding for government measures to achieve a New Philippines, one which is resilient, brings comfort to the people, and will provide a stable life for every Filipino),” Angara said as he sponsored his committee’s version of the 2024 General Appropriations Act (GAA).
Senate majority leader Joel Villanueva said plenary debates on the prosed national budget will begin at 10 a.m. today. Deliberations on Thursday will also be the same. He said floor discussions on the proposed 2024 budget next week will be from Monday to Friday.
Angara said his committee crafted the proposed national budget to sustain government initiatives to keep up the country’s growth, which took a beating amid the COVID-19 pandemic lockdowns.
Angara said the committee has approved new appropriations in the amount of P4.302 trillion, of which P4.02 trillion are programmed funds, while P281.908 billion are listed as unprogrammed funds to ensure sustainability of growth.
He said they have also set automatic appropriations at P1.748 trillion.
“The 2024 budget will also pursue initiatives that enhance the global competitiveness and attractiveness to investors of our economy, aiming in particular to resolve the challenges our industries face in terms of expensive electricity and inadequate infrastructure,” he said.
He said allocations are also in place to enhance the country’s connectivity, digitalization, and digital transformation, as well as for digital skills, and development of information and communications technology in the countryside.
Angara assured the public that the Marcos administration’s flagship programs will be provided “adequate funding so they can continue in earnest,” including the Pantawid Pamilyang Pilipino Program (4Ps), the Social Amelioration Program, the Build Better More projects, the Comprehensive Infrastructure Development Program, the Universal Access to Quality Tertiary Education, and the Tulong Trabaho Act.
He said sufficient allocations have also been appropriated to ensure the country’s food security under the Department of Agriculture’s (DA) banner programs for rice, corn, livestock, high value crops development, soil health, fisheries, agricultural research and development, buffer stocking and more.
“The new appropriations for DA and its attached agencies have reached P169.554 billion,” he said.
Angara said more than P1.3 billion was also earmarked for service contracting of public utility vehicles for next year.
Angara said the education sector remains the top budgetary priority of the Marcos administration but did not provide a specific amount.
He also said the health sector will receive additional funding so health care facilities may be constructed in areas which have yet to have them and for the purchase of ambulances.
Angara also said the proposed budget is also “focused on enhancing our capabilities to safeguard our national security, maintain our territorial integrity, and uphold our sovereignty.”
He said that other agencies will get an equitable share of the proposed budget.
“We believe that despite some limitations, the budget meets this benchmark. And with our collective improvements and amendments, we have endeavored to make it even better,” he said.
LEAK
Senate President Juan Miguel Zubiri yesterday ordered the Committee on Ethics and Privileges to investigate the alleged leak of information which were discussed during the senators’ caucus held on Monday in relation to the schedule of the budget plenary debates.
Zubiri gave the directive after Sen. Jinggoy Estrada manifested on the floor his disgust over an article published in an online news website, citing unnamed sources, saying that eight senators wanted to restore the confidential funds requested by the Office of the Vice President (OVP) and Department of Education (DepEd), which are both headed by Vice President Sara Duterte.
He said the information was apparently based on the senators’ caucus last Monday afternoon but insisted the report was inaccurate.
“There were eight senators identified in the online article who reportedly wish to restore the OVP and DepEd confidential funds. There was no votation. I don’t know who leaked that. I don’t want to name names but this is a violation of our rules. We tackled and discussed lengthily for almost two hours the schedule of the budget deliberations but we never voted with regard to all confidential and intelligence funds,” Estrada said.
“We agreed unanimously to remove all the CIFs not only that of the OVP and DepEd but all civilian agencies which have CIFs (confidential and intelligence funds),” he added.
Aside from him, Estrada said the other senators mentioned in the online news report were Senators Robin Padilla, Christoper Go, Ramon Revilla, Ronald dela Rosa, Manuel Lapid, Francis Tolentino, and Cynthia Villar.
Estrada said the article also mentioned that Sen. Pia Cayetano was said to support the reinstatement of the OVP and DepEd confidential funds if the need for them can be justified.
“They are putting us in a bad light. I am taking offense to this,” he said.
Zubiri said Estrada’s revelation was “alarming” since the Senate may no longer be trusted by government agencies or individuals once they hold an executive session.
Sen. Francis Escudero agreed with Estrada that such voting did not happen, thus the article should be considered as a mere “gossip.”
Villanueva said whether the article was based on their caucus or not, Senate Rules state that a senator may be expelled upon 2/3 votes once proven that he or she was the source of the leakage.
Dela Rosa said the alleged leak will create distrust among the senators.
He said the Committee on Ethics should summon the media entity once it conducts the investigation. Refusal to reveal the source of the article should be meted with a contempt citation, he also said.