(MANILA BULLETIN)

The soon-to-be-enacted P5.768-trillion national budget for 2024 won't skimp out on social amelioration or "ayuda" for some 48 million poor Filipinos. 

Thus, said House Speaker Martin Romualdez, who bared Tuesday, Dec. 19 that early P500 billion worth of funds have been set aside for this low-income sector. 

“For the first time, under the administration of President Ferdinand Marcos Jr., we are allocating half-a-trillion pesos, or about nine percent of the national budget, as assistance to the poor and households with insufficient income,” Romualdez said. 

“We are hoping that in some way, we are able to support people who badly need government help to get them through hard times,” said the Leyte 1st district representative and Lakas-Christian Muslim Democrats (Lakas-CMD) president.  

President Marcos is set to sign the proposed 2024 General Appropriations Bill (GAB) Wednesday in Malacañang. The P5.768-trillion spending plan is the largest in the country’s history. 

Romualdez thanked Ako Bicol Party-list Rep. Zaldy Co, chairman of the House Committee on Appropriations; and Senator Sonny Angara, chairman of the Senate Finance Committee, as well as his lawmaker-colleagues for a job well done in crafting a pro-people budget under the Marcos administration. 

He revealed that Congress (House of Representatives and Senate) introduced in the GAB a new program labelled AKAP, or Ayuda sa Kapos ang Kita. 

“It’s a P60-billion fund, whose aim is to provide direct cash assistance to the ‘near poor’ or families earning up to P23,000 a month. At least 12 million households will benefit from it, including low-income workers like those in construction and factories, drivers, food service crew, and the like,” the Speaker said. 

He said the target beneficiaries would receive a one-time cash assistance of P5,000. “If the program is successful, we can continue implementing it next year." 

The House leader pointed out that existing government programs targeting the poorest of the poor, like Assistance to Individuals in Crisis Situation (AICS) under the Department of Social Welfare and Development (DSWD) and Tulong Pang-hanapbuhay sa Ating Disadvantage/Displaced Workers (TUPAD) under the Department of Labor and Employment (DOLE) would continue to get tens of billions in funds. 

Some P23 billion has been appropriated for AICS and P30 billion for TUPAD, he added. 

Legacy projects 

Romualdez says Congress continues to provide funding for President Marcos’ “legacy projects” - Legacy Food Security, Legacy Specialty Hospitals, and Legacy Housing for the poor. 

“For Legacy Food Security, we allocated P5 billion to support our farmers with free irrigation, seeds, fertilizer, and other farm inputs. Another P5 billion is appropriated for the buying of their produce at market prices,” he said. 

“By providing much-needed capital and buying their harvest, we will not only create jobs and assure the income of our farmers – we can ensure supply of affordable and high quality local rice,” he said. 

He recalled that President Marcos has ordered the National Irrigation Administration (NIA) to expedite the implementation of irrigation projects in four months in preparation for the El Niño or extended dry season phenomenon. 

“NIA has enough funds to do this. Congress allocated P80 billion for NIA to build more dams, water reservoirs and solar irrigation systems. More irrigated lands mean better food production,” he said. 

As for Legacy Hospitals, the House leader reported that construction of new or expansion of existing facilities has already started as ordered by President Marcos last year.

“We hope to finish them within three years. For 2024, we have appropriated P1 billion for UP-Philippine General Hospital, P1.5 billion for National Kidney and Transplant Institute, P1 billion for Philippine Cancer Center, P1 billion for Philippine Children’s Medical Center, P1 billion for Bicol Regional Medical Center, and P500 million for Batangas Regional Medical Center,” he said. 

Romualdez announced that the President is set to inaugurate some completed housing projects in the days ahead. 

“With government subsidy, more Filipinos can now have access to quality, affordable housing. Since monthly amortization is only P2,500 to P3,500, government housing will be much more affordable than the projects of private developers, which cost about P15,000 a month in amortization,” he said.