Pagcor funds going to health, education

DAVAO CITY, Philippines – The Duterte administration will prioritize health and education by realigning the national budget, including utilizing the earnings of the Philippine Amusement and Gaming Corp. (Pagcor).

“My first priority is health and I will commit all of the earnings of Pagcor, which runs into billions,” president-elect Rodrigo Duterte told his supporters during the thanksgiving party here on Saturday night.

“I will realign the money, to health and then education,” he added, stressing that he would give more money to cover medicine and hospitalization.

Duterte has named Andrea Domingo, former commissioner of the Bureau of Immigration, to head Pagcor. He has yet to name his health secretary.

Meanwhile, he thanked the family of former national treasurer Leonor Briones for allowing her to take over the Department of Education.

He said Briones would be able to address problems created by the K to 12 program, including thousands of students who might not be able to enroll and teachers who might be displaced because of the additional two years in basic education in the country that would delay the entry of new college freshmen and affect college professors.

“In education, I will endeavor to build – if there are about 25 to 30 students per barangay – they will have a national high school. No need to walk 20 to 30 kilometers. I will bring the schools to them,” he added in Filipino.

Duterte scored underspending in the government, stressing the need for agencies to use up all the funds that have been allocated to them.

“In order to move we have to keep on spending. You must use up what is given to you,” said the incoming president.

He said the bottom-up budgeting initiative of the outgoing administration of President Aquino came in late and has been used for politicking.