BETTER DAYS

The Senate has started its plenary debates on the 2024 national budget. The ₱5.768 trillion proposed budget is the first expenditure plan to be fully developed under the leadership of President Ferdinand Marcos Jr. Similar to this year’s General Appropriations Act, the 2024 budget measure was crafted to stimulate growth, slash poverty, narrow the budget deficit and reduce debt, jumpstart the economy’s transformation and finally cement our status as an upper-middle income nation.

It aims to foster the development of our people through education, health and human capital development. It will fund items such as the Pantawid Pamilyang Pilipino Program (4Ps), our longstanding social amelioration program that is keeping millions of Filipino families from falling into abject poverty; the Build Better More program, the comprehensive infrastructure development program that will allow our country to become more connected, more efficient, and more productive; and the implementation of the Universal Access to Quality Tertiary Education Act and the Tulong Trabaho Act to make higher education opportunities more accessible to our people.

In sponsoring the committee report on the 2024 budget, I took note of how the budget is a toolbox for development. In the first six months of the year, our economy performed well, posting a growth rate of 5.3 percent. Among emerging economies, the Philippines ranks next only to China, which registered a growth rate of 5.4 percent. We must work on sustaining this growth by intensifying the things that are working and improving on what needs to be corrected.

As prescribed in our Constitution, education continues to be the top priority, getting a total of ₱963 billion. The Senate provided increases in the budgets of the Department of Education, the Commission on Higher Education, the Technical Education and Skills Development Authority and the State Universities and Colleges to ensure that every child is able to go to school, acquire new skills and become productive members of society.

Considering how our country is frequently hit by calamities, the budget measure allocates ₱21 billion to the National Disaster and Risk Reduction Management Fund to bring relief to people hit by misfortunes, repairs places devastated by calamities and rebuilds livelihood wrecked by disaster. The fund will not only be for disaster response but also to resilience and preparedness to calamities.

Food security remains a concern and challenge for the government so the budget also makes sure that our people will have access to affordable food. We hope that the appointment of a Secretary of Agriculture will help in this endeavor and address the continued increases in the price of our agricultural products. One of the factors that contribute to the price of goods is the cost of transportation and logistics, which is why significant funding will be provided to the Department of Transportation for the improvement of infrastructure for all modes of transport. The transport sector will also continue to receive support through subsidies in order to cope with the constantly fluctuating prices of fuel.

Improving the country’s healthcare system to address the health and medical requirements of our citizens remains a priority. Particular focus will be given to the improvement of our regional health facilities and for the establishment of regional specialty centers, pursuant to the enactment of Republic Act 11959. Quality health care should not be available only in the metropolitan areas, but in every region across the country to ensure accessibility for every Filipino.

On top of the 4Ps and fuel subsidies, the proposed budget will address the needs of our most vulnerable sectors such as our indigent senior citizens, who were able to enjoy a hundred percent increase in their social pensions as a result of the implementation of R.A. 11916, which we pushed for in the last Congress. The Assistance to Individuals in Crisis Situations, the Sustainable Livelihood Program, Cash-for-Work and Supplementary Feeding Programs will continue to provide relief to the disadvantaged sectors and ensure very young children are well nourished.

We also recognize the need to enhance connectivity, digitalization and digital transformation, as well as the capabilities of our people so that more opportunities could open up for them and in order for them to secure higher paying jobs.

It is also worth noting that the objectives of the Tatak Pinoy or Proudly Filipino advocacy are incorporated in the budget. While we are still waiting for the House of Representatives to approve the Tatak Pinoy bill, we wanted to lay the foundation for the implementation of the soon-to-be law, particularly the establishment of the Tatak Pinoy strategy.

Despite its many limitations, we believe the budget will serve several purposes: to prevent hunger, keep our people healthy, to educate and empower, to provide shelter, to cease the deprivation of property or opportunity and ultimately, to inject our people with hope. ([email protected]| Facebook, Twitter & Instagram: @sonnyangara)

Senator Sonny Angara has been in public service for 19 years — nine years as Representative of the lone district of Aurora, and 10 as Senator. He has authored, co-authored, and sponsored more than 330 laws.  He is currently serving his second term in the Senate. )