Siquijor solon wants bottom-up budgeting program reinstated into 2017 national budget

CEBU, Philippines - Siquijor Representative Rav Rocamora had lamented the deletion of the bottom-up budgeting (BuB) program from the proposed 2017 national budget submitted by Budget Secretary Benjamin Diokno.

As such, Rocamora filed House Joint Resolution 4 calling for the reinstatement of the BuB in the 2017 national budget. Co-authors of the resolution are Pampanga (1st district) Representative Carmelo Lazatin II, Ifugao Representative Teddy Baguilat Jr., and Akbayan partylist Representative Tomasito Villarin. The counterpart measure in the Senate is authored by Senator Risa Hontiveros

Rocamora argued that the BuB should be reinstated into the national budget because it is an "integral program for democratizing the budget process and empowering the poorest of the poor."

He said the BuB's purpose has been to ensure that the people have a say in government spending, thus  "removing it makes the national budget even more detached from the lives of the communities that government should be serving."

Rocamora said the BuB should even be expanded instead of deleted. He said that even if the DBM increases the budget for local government units, the citizens could not participate in identifying projects and programs that LGUs should undertake.

"People deserve to have a bigger say in the country's spending priorities instead of being told what they need. No matter how big the budget the central government wants to funnel into the LGUs, if the process in itself does not involve ordinary citizens, people's organizations and civil society then it does nothing to democratize the budget process," contended Rocamora.

The congressman believed that reinstating the BuB to the national budget means empowering people by letting them participate in the government's program that are intended for them in the first place.

"We will get the support of other legislators who agree with the benefits of keeping the BuB. While our partners and allies in civil society and people's organization will add pressure in support of this endeavor," Rocamora added. (FREEMAN)