Senator Grace Poe assured on Wednesday that the 2021 national budget that Congress has crafted would respond to the people's needs amid the COVID-19 pandemic.
The Senate and House of Representatives is set to ratify today, December 9, the 2021 General Appropriations Bill (GAB) following the approval of its final version by the bicameral conference committee earlier.
Poe, a member of the Senate panel in the bicam, said the the reconciled government spending bill "is timely, targeted and laser-focused on our people who are most affected by the COVID-19 pandemic."
"It seeks to respond to real needs for better health protection, equal access to quality education, efficient transportation and infrastructure and inclusive social protection," she added.
Poe said that among others, funds were set aside for the government's cash-for-work program for displaced workers and overseas Filipino workers (OFWs).
"As our greatest human resources, the Filipino workers will fuel the revival of the economy," she said.
Funds will also be appropriated to set up the National Broadband Infrastructure "for better, accessible and affordable internet services — a valuable necessity to workers, students and businesses in this new normal," she likewise noted.
Under the bicam-approved bill, the education sector is expected to get the lion's share of the P4.5-trillion national budget.
Lawmakers appropriated a total of P708,181,173,000 to the Department of Education, Commission on Higher Education, state universities and colleges and the Technical Education and Skills Development Authority.
Following is the Department of Public Works and Highways, which is set to receive a total of P694,822,718,000.
The health sector – Department of Health (DOH), Philippine Health Insurance Corporation, specialty hospitals, among others – has been appropriated with a total of P287,472,698,000.
The proposed allocation includes the P2.5-billion fund under the DOH budget for the purchase of COVID-19 vaccines, and the P70 billion in unprogrammed appropriations to cover other expenses for its distribution to the country's population. The DOH, meanwhile, has been appropriated with a total of P134.9 billion.
Poe reiterated that lawmakers should make sure that the appropriated funds will be spent promptly and properly.
"Our work must not stop here. The task of overseeing the responsible, prompt and honest spending rests on all of us. This way, we can use the budget as a lifeline to emerge stronger from this crisis," she said.
"We trust the administration sees Congress eye-to-eye on this aspiration," she added.