MANILA, Philippines — The Marcos administration needs about P155 billion to fund its measures aimed at cushioning the impact on Filipinos of the Middle East conflict, which has resulted in volatile oil prices and supply chain disruptions.
Budget Undersecretary Goddes Hope Libiran said the amount may still change as agencies adjust their funding requirements if the need arises.
“At this stage, the estimated funding requirement for the proposed UPLIFT interventions is at least P155 billion based on the preliminary presentation of the Office of the Executive Secretary,” Libiran said at a press briefing at Malacañang.
“However, it is important to note and to emphasize that its figure is not fixed. In public financial management terms, this remains a dynamic and evolving funding... as the final amount will depend on how much the participating agencies can realign, repurpose or defer from their existing appropriation in order to support targeted intervention.”
UPLIFT refers to Unified Package for Livelihoods, Industry, Food and Transport, the government’s strategy for addressing the fallout from the war in the Middle East.
It was established through Executive Order No. 110 issued on March 24, placing the country under a state of national energy emergency.
Libiran said the administration is not looking at an entirely new spending, but at “strategic reprioritization” within the current fiscal space in line with prudent fiscal management.
“Further refinements to funding requirements are expected as agencies finalize their respective proposals,” the budget official said.
The Marcos administration is pushing for an UPLIFT bill that will remove the two-year ban on the inclusion of savings in the proposed budget. The proposed measure also allows the government to use the unreleased appropriations and unobligated allotment from the 2025 and 2026 national budgets.
Transparency tool
Libiran also announced the launch of the UPLIFT website as a “transparency tool” to allow the public to track how state funds are used.
“We are open, we are transparent and we are ready to face accountability,” the budget undersecretary said.
“In any crisis, timing matters; it is very crucial. So people need to see that help is real, that it is ongoing and that is reaching them. Because even the most extensive government action means little if people cannot understand or access it,” she added.
Libiran said every section and feature of the website is easy to understand, regardless of the viewer’s background or familiarity with the government.
“At this time where fake news is prevalent, we really want the people to have a single source of truth when it comes to information regarding the Middle East crisis... We want them to see what the government is doing for them,” Libiran said.
As part of the administration’s effort to help grassroots governments cope with the effects of the Middle East crisis, Marcos visited Leyte yesterday to implement various aid programs and interact with their beneficiaries.
In Tacloban City, he led the rollout of the “Sa Eastern Visayas, Bawat Barangay Makikinabang,” which provided each village with P200,000 for educational, social and economic projects. Half of the assistance will fund scholarships while the rest will bankroll the priorities of barangay officials.
He also witnessed the launch of the Bagong Pilipinas Rice Program under the Local Government Support Fund.
“We have a mandate and we are dealing with an oil crisis. We know that if the price of oil rises, the prices of all goods would also rise. We prioritized food supply. So we are here to distribute 10 kilos of rice,” Marcos said.
“We will do this six times a year. Every two months, we will distribute rice. This will continue to ensure our food supply.”
Marcos also met with 690 student-beneficiaries of the barangay scholarship program and urged them to take their studies seriously.
The President likewise attended the inauguration of the Hibulangan Small Reservoir Irrigation Project in Villaba, Leyte. Completed on June 5 last year, the 25-meter-high zone earthfill dam with a reservoir capacity of 9.01 million cubic meters will serve the towns of Villaba, Matag-ob and Kananga in Leyte. It is expected to benefit 1,821 farmers. — Miriam Desacada