Senator Risa Hontiveros on Monday, April 27 warned that the government may need an emergency supplemental budget higher than the P52.8-billion she earlier proposed if the Middle East conflict and the subsequent oil crisis extends to May and beyond.

In a radio interview, Hontiveros said the agriculture sector alone may need up to P189-billion if the crisis extends to May or up until August, which is coincidentally the farming season in the Philippines.

“Yes, this proposed P52.8-billion for the Supplemental Budget, it will probably increase according to the services needed,” Hontiveros said in Filipino in an interview over Bombo Radyo.

“So for example, the budget support for farmers and fishermen—it could reach to P189-billion when the crisis reaches next month of May, until August,” she pointed out.

“Because those months are our farming season here in the Philippines,” she explained.

Last March, Hontiveros pushed for the passage of Senate Bill No. 1986, seeking a P52.8-billion supplemental funding for various sectors—particularly transportation, farmers, fisherfolk—that were hit hard by the soaring fuel prices caused by the United States and Israel’s conflict with Iran.

Under the measure, the senator proposed that the supplemental budget consist of P12-billion for transport subsidy, P2.8-billion for agricultural subsidy, and at least P38-billion emergency fund for the repatriation and reintegration of affected overseas Filipino workers (OFWs).

But Hontiveros noted that it has been two months since she and her counterpart allies in the House of Representatives pushed for the P52.8-billion supplemental budget.

If passed into law, the senator said she is confident that the government can source the funding from various items including the budget for the hosting of this year’s ASEAN Chairmanship Summit to be held in Manila.

“If I remember, I said that billions of pesos were budgeted for our hosting of the ASEAN this year. Maybe we could halve the social events set for that, so we could reallocate it first for supporting our farmers and fishermen, our public transport, drivers and operators and our OFWS,” she pointed out.

The lawmaker also pointed out that the government may obtain funds from the number of infrastructure projects that the Commission on Audit (COA) had earlier flagged and were issued with a notice of disallowance as part of the ongoing investigation into the flood controls scandal.

“What else? The disallowed spending for flood control projects in last year's budget because of the scam discovered there and the ongoing investigation, could perhaps be used here for the Supplemental Budget,” she stressed.

Other than this, she said her office has also identified some large and long-term government projects that are due to be funded later this year.

“Perhaps the Executive (department) can decide to use those items first just to help our vulnerable sectors through these months of war and oil crisis, so that if they survive, we can still include them in our longer-term solutions and reforms to these long-term problems, which have only intensified during this crisis,” she stressed.