PNoy wants more clarification on proposed 2012 budget

COTABATO CITY – The proposed national budget for 2012 has already been presented to President Benigno Aquino III, but he has yet to approve it, saying he still needs to get clarifications from his Cabinet. At a press briefing after visiting flood victims here, Aquino said he expects his Cabinet to answer the specifics on the budget on their next meeting, which he did not say when. “May mga details akong hiningi. I wanted to be as transparent as possible," said Aquino, adding that documents on the proposed budget were as thick as a telephone directory. He said his notes during the budget presentation were 10 to 12 pages long. “If I were to itemize all of it, I might give the wrong impression na ito ang priority or that I’m questioning a particular item," he said. Aquino said the topics he raised during their last meeting were extensive and covered a wide range of issues. “There’s a scheduled presentation by the Cabinet, the Cabinet will be answering the specifics that I wanted to be threshed out," he said. Budget Secretary Florencio Abad on Tuesday said the proposed national budget will give a significant boost to social services and infrastructure. In a press statement, he said the 2012 expenditure plan—which will increase from 8 to 12 percent year-on-year—will still be consistent with the government’s fiscal consolidation efforts, reducing the fiscal deficit from 3.2 percent of gross domestic product (GDP) this year to 2.6 percent in 2012. “The social services sector will continue to receive the lion’s share of more than 30 percent of the national budget, or more than P500 billion. To support escalated efforts for social protection, basic education and public healthcare, the sector will receive a budgetary increase of 8 to 12 percent," he said. “To support rapid, inclusive and sustained economic growth, the economic services sector will receive about a quarter of the total budget, or more than P400 billion. In particular, infrastructure and other capital spending will be increasing by more than 20 percent," he added. At the same time, Abad said the share of debt burden in the national budget will be reduced by about 2 to 4 percentage points from 22.6 percent in 2011. He said absolute figures may only be made public once Aquino and the Cabinet approved the budget, which will be submitted to Congress after the State of the Nation Address on July 25. He said the proposed 2012 national budget will achieve greater funding focus on the five Key Result Areas (KRAs) of the Aquino administration: