First Duterte budget ready by January – Alvarez

MANILA, Philippines – The P3.35-trillion 2017 budget, the first proposed by President Duterte, will be ready by January, Speaker Pantaleon Alvarez said yesterday.

“There will be no reenacted budget. President Duterte’s 2017 budget will be ready by the start of next year,” he said.

He said public discussion on the issue of Charter change (Cha-cha) that would shift the nation to the federal system “will not distract us from the timely passage of the proposed outlay for next year.”

Alvarez commended the House of Representatives appropriations committee for rushing consideration of Duterte’s budget proposal so it could be approved before yearend.

The committee, chaired by Davao City Rep. Karlo Nograles, is scheduled to wrap up scrutiny of the President’s proposal next week. It has been conducting hearings from Monday through Friday.

The Senate has already started its own budget hearings. However, senators cannot tackle the outlay in plenary until the House has approved it and sent it to them.

Majority Leader Rodolfo Fariñas has told his colleagues and administration officials that the House has to expedite its work on the outlay because Duterte submitted it two weeks late.

“Before, the budget was usually presented a day after the President’s SONA (State of the Nation Address). This year, it was proposed two weeks after the SONA,” he said.

He said he and his colleagues would have to work overtime to approve the budget before yearend.

“This is the first time that we are having sessions until October without a break so we can finish deliberations on the budget,” he added.

Alvarez said he is for free and open public debate on the issue of constitutional reforms, especially on federalism.

“We have the responsibility of providing our people all the necessary avenues and information, pros and cons, on the proposed reforms. It is the future of our people and nation that is at stake,” he said.

He said a citizenry actively participating in decision-making and governance should always be prepared to sacrifice and share the burdens of national reformation.

“Let us never forget that government exists for the people,” he stressed.

Duterte, who initially wanted the convening of an elected constitutional convention (con-con) for Charter change, has agreed to the proposal of some of his congressional allies for Congress to convene as a constituent assembly (con-ass) to do Cha-cha.

The con-ass mode is faster and less expensive, he said.

He was informed that the election of con-con delegates alone could cost P7 billion, plus P3 billion more for the operational expenses of the convention for one year.

Family planning budget slashed

Meanwhile, Albay Rep. Edcel Lagman lamented yesterday that Duterte has reduced the family planning budget for next year by nearly 70 percent.

He made the observation during the hearing by the House appropriations committee on the proposed P91-billion funding for the Department of Health for 2017.

He said the allocation for “family planning supplies” was reduced from P527 million this year to only P165 million next year, 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.

The DOH budget itself has been cut from P123 billion to P91 billion, or by P32 billion.

Health Secretary Paulyn Jean Ubial said her department’s 2017 outlay would be “26 percent lower” than this year because money for the national health insurance program was removed from it and transferred to the Philippine Health Insurance Corp.

At the same time, Ubial announced that she has ordered the release of P10 million to government hospitals in Davao City to help care for the victims of last week’s market bombing.