#TalkThursday with Butch Abad

MANILA, Philippines – Rappler speaks with Budget Management Secretary Florencio “Butch” Abad.

Abad has a long record of government service, having been a member of the Philippine cabinet in previous administrations. He was the Secretary of the Department of Agrarian Reform under former president Cory Aquino from 1989-1990. Under the Arroyo administration, Abad was the Secretary of the Department of Education from 2004-2005. Abad was also a member of the House of Representatives representing Batanes for two terms.

On July 10, President Benigno Aquino III approved a P2.268-trillion budget for 2014.

If the budget is approved, the top 3 departments that will enjoy the biggest bulk of the 2014 budget are the Department of Education (DepEd), the Department of Public Works and Highways (DPWH), and the Department of the Interior and Local Government (DILG).

Budget Secretary Butch Abad called the budget “comprehensive and forward-looking,” with a focus on the country’s “most urgent development requirement [and] also our long-term growth objectives.”

The President submitted the budget to Congress when session opened July 22.

Rappler asks Abad about the distribution of the budget for 2013 and 2014, and the performance of bottom-up budgeting, among other topics.

– Rappler.com