MANILA, Philippines, December 13 ------ True to his earlier promise, Senate President Juan Miguel “Migz” Zubiri announced that the Senate ratified next year’s national budget with an additional P10.47-billion allocation for the much-needed boost to the country’s defensive posture in the West Philippine Sea (WPS).
The proposed P5.768-trillion national budget also has allocations of P731.4 billion in unprogrammed appropriations and an increase in the House of Representatives of P12.5 billion. Congress realigned portions of next year’s national budget to agencies tasked with safeguarding the country’s maritime interests against China’s bullying tactics in Philippine waters, according to Zubiri. “As we have learned from the constant bullying and aggression of China against Filipino fishermen and our protectors in the West Philippine Sea and our exclusive economic zone, we badly need to upgrade our capabilities in patrolling our seas. As promised, your Senate has delivered,” he said. He added that during the bicameral conference, Congress agreed to augment the Department of National Defense (DND) budget, particularly for the Armed Forces and the Philippine Navy, with P6.17 billion; Philippine Coast Guard, P2.8 billion; National Intelligence Coordinating Agency, P1 billion and Department of Environment and Natural Resources (DENR), P500 million.
The additional funds would be used for purchasing patrol ships and defense equipment, according to the Senate leader. “Our brave Coast Guard and Navy, even with their limited mobility and equipment, are not wanting in courage and bravery in standing up to their Chinese oppressors,” he said. “I say to you: take heart because your Congress sees your situation and has done its part to address the deficiency,” he added. Congress also augmented the DENR’s budget to set up a Marine Research Center in one of the islands in the WPS. “We hope that this boost in funds for the purchase of additional patrol ships and defense equipment will also boost the morale of our brave Coast Guard and soldiers in protecting our exclusive economic zone,” Zubiri said.
Zero CIFs
During yesterday’s plenary session, the Senate president also clarified that “for the record, the Senate has zero confidential and intelligence funds (CIFs).” “The bicameral conference committee report ratifying the national budget (for 2024) is hereby approved and ratified,” he declared as he banged the gavel. Before the Senate approval and ratification of the budget, Senate Minority Leader Aquilino Pimentel III interpellated Sen. Sonny Angara, who chairs the Senate finance committee, about the level of the CIFs. “For transparency sake, so that all the people may know the budget … may we know what happened to the level of CIF? If I remember correctly at the level of the NEP (national expenditure programs), (it’s) P12 billion; now, what is the level in the bicam report?” Pimentel asked. Angara replied that CIFs remain on the level of the General Appropriations Bills (GAB) from the House, which is P9.5 billion. “We did not touch it,” he said.
Programmed, unprogrammed
While there are many reasons to vote in favor of the bicam report, Pimentel said there are also some serious and grave concerns on the process of budgeting, especially in the programmed and unprogrammed appropriations. “We are increasing (unprogrammed appropriations) by P450 billion. The original proposal of the President or the Executive department was P281.9 billion in the NEP, and yet the ending was P731.4 billion or an increase of roughly P450 billion as a result of the bicameral conference,” he added. Programmed appropriations are those with definite/identified funding as of the time that the budget is prepared, while unprogrammed appropriations are those that provide standby authority to incur additional agency obligations for priority programs or projects when revenue collection exceeds targets and when additional grants or foreign funds are generated.
Angara replied in the affirmative, noting, “The figure and the reason is to carve out fiscal space in the program the appropriations for other items that are proposed by our colleagues, both here (Senate) and at the House,” Angara said when further pressed by Pimentel as to what happened to the unprogrammed appropriations. He also noted that the Philippine Health Insurance Corp. (PhilHealth) has a budget of around P600 billion, whose P40-billion decrease he did not think would have an adverse effect. “I’m just worried about this practice, Mr. President, because from P281.9 billion and the ending P731.4 billion definitely that was not envisioned by the Executive branch,” Pimentel told Zubiri. “So there was no way that even the Executive branch was designing and coming up with the budget with the NEP that they envisioned the ending unprogrammed appropriations would be P731.4 billion, Mr. President, so that’s just a concern that I am raising, Mr. President, because I also observed this last year,” Pimentel pointed out.
Source: philstar.com
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