DBM chief sees 2011 budget signed into law by year-end

Now that both houses of Congress had approved the P1.645 trillion budget for next year, Budget Secretary Florencio Abad on Thursday said he expects the appropriations bill to be signed into law before the end of the year, which he said would be a first after a long time. “It will be a good start for our country if we have a budget that is not only approved on time, but also addresses the urgent needs of our people in a timely manner. This is a ray of daylight in the often-hazy budgeting affair," Abad said. Abad said the Senate approval of the appropriations bill on third and final reading last Wednesday night would pave the way for the convening of the bicameral conference committee on the budget bill. He said if the senators and congressmen work hard, the Senate and the House of Representatives may be able to approve a harmonized bill by December 14. He said if a copy of the enrolled bill is submitted immediately, the Department of Budget and Management (DBM) would be able to review the final copy in around two weeks, and President Benigno Aquino III would be able to sign it into law by December 30. In case that happens, Abad said it will be the first time in more than a decade that the General Appropriations Act would be signed into law before the end of the year. Deputy presidential spokesperson Abigail Valte said Malacañang is happy that the 2011 budget was intact, especially the P21-billion fund for the controversial conditional cash transfer (CCT) program, which its proponents said would benefit the poor. Scrimping budget Senator Pia Cayetano, meanwhile, criticized the national budget for 2011, saying it is “scrimping" on some social and public services. “It is unfortunate that the very first budget that looms to be approved under this new administration will be remembered by Filipinos for scrimping on allocations for public tertiary education and hospitals, as well as for agriculture and vital public infrastructure," Cayetano said in a statement on Thursday. On Wednesday, Cayetano and brother Senate Minority Floor Leader Alan Peter Cayetano voted against the approval of the Senate’s version of the 2011 budget. Opposition lawmaker Senator Joker Arroyo likewise found it “difficult" to support the “stagnation" budget. Cayetano explained that the Aquino administration should not try to force government hospitals and state universities and colleges (SUC) to generate revenues of their own. “The Palace should be clear-cut and transparent in its long-term plans for public education and health. Forcing SUCs and government hospitals to be ‘self-sufficient,’ while at the same time freezing their budgets, may result in poor delivery of basic social services," she said. On Wednesday, students from different SUCs staged a rally in front of the Senate to protest the alleged P1.7-billion cut on their budget. Senate finance committee chairman Senator Franklin Drilon, however, insisted that there was no cut on the allocation for SUCs, but noted that they retained their budget for the maintenance and operational expenses for next year. CCT without cuts Aside from the SUC budget, Cayetano also criticized the government's decision to allocate P21 billion to the CCT program, which both houses of Congress approved without any cuts. “Although I support the concept of a subsidy program for the poor, the P21 billion allotted to the CCT is too large an amount to invest in an untested program," she said. “This policy direction may end up to be more anti-poor and anti-development than pro-poor and pro-development," she added. The CCT is supposed to grant a monthly stipend of up to P1,400 to 2.3 million of the 4.6 million poorest families nationwide. The program is part of the P29.2-billion Pantawid Pamilyang Pilipino Program (4Ps) of the Department of Social Welfare and Development (DSWD). Senators Miriam Defensor-Santiago, Ferdinand Marcos Jr., Edgardo Angara, Gregorio Honasan, and Francis Escudero had earlier sought to slash the CCT budget. However, Drilon pushed for the approval of the CCT budget intact. - with Kimberly Jane Tan/KBK, GMANews.TV