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Manila Bulletin devider Philippines devider Lacson: Keeping the national budgets fat-free crucial in helping PH recover from the effects of pandemic

Lacson: Keeping the national budgets fat-free crucial in helping PH recover from the effects of pandemic

Published Feb 25, 2022 11:11 am

Presidential candidate Senator Panfilo "Ping" M. Lacson on Friday, Feb. 25 said keeping the national budgets for the coming years fat-free would be crucial in helping the country recover from the effects of the COVID-19 pandemic.

Lacson stressed this as he voiced his support for the National Economic and Development Authority's (NEDA’s) fiscal consolidation plan for the next President of the Republic.

"Thank you NEDA. This is what I’ve always been saying during budget deliberations. With a yearly average of P328B ‘’unused’’ appropriations for the past 10 years (2010-2020) and P700B in ‘’misused/abused’’ budget each year, there couldn’t be a better advice," Lacson.

The Partido Reporma standard bearer said he was referring to the lack of proper planning that led to an average of P328 billion in appropriations in the budget going unused every year from 2010 to 2020 - and corruption that led to the loss of some P700 billion a year, quoting a statement from former Deputy Ombudsman Cyril Ramos.

The NEDA is now crafting the plan to repay the country's ballooning debt and narrow the budget deficit caused by the pandemic.

Socioeconomic Planning Undersecretary Rosemarie Edillon was quoted in reports as saying the plan would include proposed cuts on non-priority budget items.

During his 18 years as senator, Lacson earned a reputation as an eagle-eyed watchdog of the national budget, flagging questionable appropriations and pushing to have them deleted from the budget measure.

Lacson, who is running with vice presidential bet Senate President Vicente C. Sotto III under a platform of fixing the government's woes (Aayusin ang Gobyerno, Aayusin ang Buhay ng Bawat Pilipino) and going after thieves in government (Uubusin ang Magnanakaw), has said that should he be elected into office this May, he would introduce much-needed reforms to the preparation and implementation of the budget, which he described as the lifeblood of the nation.

These reforms include, among others, a zero-based budgeting system instead of a budget ceiling; and a combination of strict fiscal discipline and leadership by example, he pointed out.

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