The House of Representatives' Committee on Appropriations began on Thursday, August 26, its deliberation on the P5.024-trillion proposed national budget for 2022.
The committee's budget hearings kicked off with a briefing from the Development Budget Coordination Committee (DBCC), which is composed of the Department of Budget and Management (DBM), Department of Finance (DOF), National Economic and Development Authority (NEDA) and the Bangko Sentral ng Pilipinas.
The 2022 proposed budget, according to DBM officer-in-charge and Undersecretary Tina Canda, was guided by the government's goal of "building resilience amidst the pandemic, sustaining the momentum towards recovery, and continuing the legacy of infrastructure development." Lawmakers zeroed in on the government's spending plan for addressing the COVID-19 pandemic and its impacts.
"Can we truly consider the 2022 National Expenditure Program as a COVID-19 response measure?" Albay 1st District Rep. Edcel Lagman raised in his interpellation as he inquired about the executive branch's proposed allocation for vaccine procurement, contact tracing, testing, as well as social and economic support for distressed sectors.
In response, DOF Secretary Carlos Dominguez III said that while addressing COVID-19 is the Duterte administration's priority, the national budget should also be able to respond to other prevailing concerns in the country.
"COVID-19 is a problem. And definitely, the budget aims to address that problem. But it is not only --- this budget is not only a COVID-19 response budget. It also responds to the needs of the entire Filipino nation, and that includes needs for education, needs for defense, needs for infrastrcuture and the like," Dominguez said.
"Of course COVID-19 is important but this is not exclusive goal of this budget," he explained to the House panel.
Canda said that a total of P395.6 billion has been dedicated for COVID-19 response program.
The funds were lodged in various government agencies for vaccine purchase, contract tracing, and even foreign-assisted projects, among others.
This does not include amounts under unprogrammed amounts, such as the P45 billion proposed for the possible purchase of vaccine booster shots.
Marikina 2nd District Representative Stella Quimbo, for her part, said funds for COVID-19, specifically the proposed budget for vaccine booster shots, should not be listed underprogrammed appropriations to avoid it being derailed by the lack of government revenues.
"Kasi ang sinasabi po natin, na para po tayo makapagrecover economically, kailangan natin ng vaccine. Pero bakit nilagay natin sa unprogrammed ang COVID-19 vaccine (Because we have been saying that we need the vaccine so we could recover economically. But why did we put the COVID-19 vaccine under the unprogrammed funds)?" Quimbo, an economist, pointed out.
Former Department of Health (DOH) secretary and Iloilo Representative Janette Garin also appealed to budget officials to include the P45 billion for booster shots in the line-item budget, sharing the view that the public needs more protection against emerging coronavirus variants.
"The scientific community is very much aware that a third dose is needed...Many vaccinated are already getting infected, said Garin, who recently tested positive for COVID-19.
"Booster dose might be needed if the impact of the doses will be short-term, or will be having additional variants after Delta, Delta Plus and Lambda," she added.
Canda explained that fund the P45 billion only concerned the purchase of booster shots, whose necessity has yet to be confirmed by health authorities. She admitted, though, that the allocation will be the "most affected" if the government fails to meet its growth and revenue collection targets by next year.
"Rest assured that sufficient funds are in the budget of DOH for the procurement of vaccines, the required number of vaccines," Canda assured.
The P5-trillion proposed 2022 national budget is higher by 11.5 percent than the P4.5-trillion 2021 expenditure program.
Presidential spokesman Harry Roque earlier said that at least P240 billion will be be needed to sustain the government's COVID-19 reponse efforts next year, especially in boosting the country's vaccination program.
Under the 2022 NEP, the Department of Health was allocated with P242 billion budget.