Aquino to DBM: Prioritize social services in budget review

President Benigno Aquino III has ordered the Budget Department to make sure allotments for social services continue to be disbursed despite the ongoing review of finances left by the previous administration. Budget Secretary Florencio Abad on Tuesday said President Aquino particularly seeks to beef up health insurance and conditional cash transfer programs. "Utos ng pangulo, hanggang maaari ang serbisyo sa publiko di maantala. Ang pwede makuha ng pera, halimbawa ang PhilHealth kung makakuha ng savings sa kasalukuyang budget, o ang conditional cash transfer. Yang mga programang ganoon tiyakin natin di lang patuloy ang mapondohan kundi mapalaki ang pondo,," Abad said in an interview on dzXL radio. (The President ordered us to make sure basic services will not be affected in our budget review. He also wants us to increase funding for programs such as PhilHealth [Philippine Health Insurance Corp.] insurance and the conditional cash transfer for the poor.) All secretaries are holding back the implementation of some programs until they determine whether those programs are critical, Abad said. He did not elaborate on what programs were put on hold. "Ang lahat na secretary ngayon inuusisa lahat yan at hino-hold ang implementation hanggang matiyak natin kailangan yan at ‘di pa naipatutupad tinitingnan kung ayon sa prayoridad (All secretaries are reviewing the programs and holding the implementation of some programs that may not be in line with this administration's priorities)," he said. Abad said his department is now studying how much of the P1.5-trillion budget for 2010 had been spent, and how much is left. He also said he is conferring with other Cabinet members to determine how much they need for 2011, so he can formulate the proposed budget for next year. The Aquino administration expects to submit to Congress its first budget proposal in August, within a month after Aquino's first State of the Nation Address on July 26. "Pinag-aaralan natin ngayon kung ano na ang nagastos sa budget na nakaraan at ano ang natitira at ano ang posibleng magamit natin para ang prayoridad ng administrasyon at least ," Abad said. (We are studying how much had been spent and how much is left, and how much we can use to fund priority programs.) "We are studying very closely the budget proposal for 2011 that we will submit to Congress in August. We want to trim the fat off all the programs of government, and make sure the funding in the budget will be for priority programs," he added. - LBG, RJAB Jr., GMANews.TV