Government spending is vital to national growth. It is one of the four components of Gross Domestic Product (GDP). The other three are consumer spending, business investment, and net exports. In the past two years, Statista reports that the ratio of government expenditure to GDP in the past three...
BEYOND BUDGET *Assalamu alaikum wa Rahmatullahi wa Barakatuh.* “A nation’s culture resides in the hearts and in the soul of its people.” — Mahatma Ghandi Each of us may be from different backgrounds and upbringings, but as Filipinos, we're tied together by a common history and environment,...
BEYOND BUDGET *Assalamu alaikum wa Rahmatullahi wa Barakatuh.* “How does it feel to be the first Muslim budget secretary and the only Muslim in this administration’s Cabinet?” That's a question I get a lot. Consistently, I always answer that I feel very honored for being able to represent and...
Senate Minority Leader Aquilino Pimentel III has thrown his full support to a call of Senator Rafael ‘’Raffy’’ Tulfo for the Senate to use the budget process to hold government agencies, particularly the National Irrigation Administration (NIA), responsible for losses of billions of pesos...
BEYOND BUDGET *Assalamu alaikum wa Rahmatullahi wa Barakatuh.* In my two decades as a public servant, I have come full circle to the budgeting process and public spending, and how they have a profound impact on the lives of the Filipino people. While I have always advocated for financial inclusion...
Marikina City 2nd district Rep. Stella Quimbo (left), and Albay 2nd district Rep. Joey Salceda (MANILA BULLETIN, Facebook) With a new budget season lurking around the corner, ranking House of Representatives members have begun to scrutinize the different government agencies on the proper...
BEYOND BUDGET *Assalamu alaikum wa Rahmatullahi wa Barakatuh.* Intense heat is really on in the country. Lately, we would hear parents reminding their children to always stay hydrated or indoors, while others choose to travel to cooler places! Indeed, climate change is an inescapable reality, as...
BEYOND BUDGET *Assalamu alaikum wa Rahmatullahi wa Barakatuh.* The great inventor Thomas Edison said: “The value of an idea lies in the using of it.” In a fast-paced world, one has to quickly discern opportunities—act on them—in order to make innovation happen. Agility and innovation are...
BEYOND BUDGET *Assalamu alaikum wa Rahmatullahi wa Barakatuh.* Last Friday April 21, which fittingly was Eid al-Fitr, I had the honor and privilege of delivering the keynote message at the mid-year commencement exercises of the Polytechnic University of the Philippines (PUP). I am also grateful and...
BEYOND BUDGET *As-salamu alaykum!* Philosopher-novelist Ayn Rand once said, “Money is only a tool. It will take you wherever you wish, but it will not replace you as the driver.” One thing the pandemic-induced health crisis and economic slowdown had magnified, is that survival depends on how...
DBM allots P1.4 B to support youth job seekers By JAMES A. LOYOLA The Department of Budget and Management (DBM) assured funding for the strategic programs of the Department of Labor and Employment (DOLE) that aim to provide jobs to Filipino youth. Budget Secretary Amenah F. Pangandaman said they...
The Department of Budget and Management (DBM) announced that the government will pay the one-year health insurance premiums of senior citizens nationwide. In a statement, Budget Secretary Amenah F. Pangandaman said that DBM will release P42.93 billion to settle the health insurance premiums of over...
