Senate slashes DPWH budget by P32.69-B

November 12 ------ The Senate Finance committee on Thursday Nov. 11 slashed the proposed budget of the Department of Public Works and Highways (DPWH) from P698.19 billion to P665.5 billion, or a reduction of P32.69 billion. Despite the reduction, the DPWH is still number two among the top 10 agencies with big allocations in the proposed 2022 P5.02 billion national budget. Topping the list is the Department of Education (DepEd) which has a budget of P738.62 billion. This budget is shared by the DepEd, Commission on Higher Education (CHED), Technical Education and Skills Development Authority (TESDA), and State Universities and Colleges (SUCs).

Third place goes to the Department of Health (DOH) with P312.3 billion which will be shared with the Philippine Health Insurance Corporation (PhilHealth) and specialty hospitals of the government. Senator Juan Edgardo ‘’Sonny’’ M. Angara, chairman of the Senate Finance committee, said budgets of various government agencies and programs were slashed to be added to funds for healthcare institutions of government and to be able to finance the giving of special risk allowances (SRA) and other benefits to health care workers. Aside from the DPWH, the Angara committee also made a big cut on the budget of the National Task Force to End Local Armed Conflict or NTF-ELCAC.

The committee slashed the proposed 2022 budget of the Barangay Development project of the NTF-ELCAC from P28.1 billion to P4 billion. Senator Ronald ‘’Bato’’ dela Rosa, a former Philippine National Police (PNP) chief, assured his colleagues that the P28.1 billion would not be used for politicking but to address the causes of the decades-old insurgency problem.

Source: mb.com.ph