Aquino administration eyes higher budget for 2015

MANILA, Philippines – After 6 hours of grilling, President Benigno Aquino III directed his cabinet officials to fine tune the proposed 2015 national budget. 

As presented by Budget Secretary Florencio “Butch” Abad, the cabinet is eyeing a proposed budget of P2.606 trillion ($60 billion) for 2015, 15% higher than the 2014 budget.

Prior to the cabinet meeting, Aquino announced he did not accept the budget secretary’s offer to step down from office. There had been a clamor for Abad’s resignation after the Supreme Court declared 3 acts under the Disbursement Acceleration Program (DAP) unconstitutional. 

According to Abad, the priority programs under the proposed 2015 budget fall under “social protection and social services, job generation and economic expansion, climate change adaptation and mitigation, and an enabling environment for inclusive development.”

Here are the highlights of the proposed budget: 

• Conditional Cash Transfer increase from P62.6 billion ($1.44 billion) to P78 billion ($1.79 billion) due to an increase in coverage from 4.3 million households to 5 million households, according to the National Household Targeting System
• Increase in National Health Insurance Program from P35.3 billion ($810 million) to P37.2 billion ($850 million); increase in coverage from 14.7 million to 15.4 million beneficiaries
• Increase in provision of basic educational facilities (classrooms, water and sanitation) from P44.6 billion ($1.02 billion) to P52.7 billion ($1.21 billion)
• National roads and bridges program of DPWH increased from P130.4 billion ($2.99 billion) to P186.6 billion ($4.28 billion)
• Tourism Infrastructure development increased from P14.7 billion ($340 million) to P20 billion ($460 million). (This is after an increase in international tourists from 6.8 million to 8.2 million, and domestic tourists from P47.7 million to P51.7 million.)
• Flood control and drainage projects of DPWH increased from P34.8 billion ($800 million) to P38.6 billion ($890 million)

Another cabinet meeting may be convened before the National Expenditure Program (NEP) Budget Proposal is approved and finalized. 

As Aquino officially submits the President’s Budget Message to Congress on July 28, the budget legislation phase begins. – Rappler.com 

$1 = P43.53