MANILA, Philippines – Senate President Pro-Tempore Ralph Recto on Monday, November 23, proposed a mechanism to address underspending in the 2016 General Appropriations bill or the national budget.
The P3.002 trillion budget for 2016, Recto said, is nothing to be bragged about, as budgets have always followed “a natural upward trajectory.” The game changer, he said, is the quality of spending, as he criticized the Aquino administration’s underspending.
While it is good to have checks in the expenditure system, Recto said “it should not be so numerous that they choke spending.”
“If private groups are complaining about too many rules, and being tied down by red tape, then the relief they seek must be applied on our spending regimen as well, but in a way that will shorten and simplify the process, without leaving the government shortchanged,” Recto said in his sponsorship speech during the 1st day of budget deliberations.
He cited as example the “complicated and circuitous way” that a disaster-hit town can apply for calamity funds. Before a city or province receives calamity funds, several steps have to be followed; and as with bureaucracy, it usually takes a lot of time.
“A relaxation of rules is in order. Yes, rules must be followed in buying fire extinguishers, to use an analogy, but one must not haggle down the price of a water hose when the neighbor’s house is already on fire,” he said.
To further push his point, the reelectionist senator mentioned the “slow pace” of building classrooms and hiring teachers.
Citing government data, Recto said the government spent P416.2 billion below program in the past 5 years, saying unspent “balances from 2011 to 2014 of P850 billion painted a more dire picture.”
With this, he suggested including a provision in the 2016 budget to institutionalize faster spending.
“It is my opinion that [the Department of Budget and Management’s] exhortations must be incorporated in the provisions of this budget as an institutionalized antidote to the poor absorption of funds. We cannot hector them into paying taxes on time while putting projects that their taxes are funding on hold,” he said.
The reelectionist senator also said he would seek certain amendments to the House-approved budget bill.
Recto said he would push for the expansion of the coverage of senior pension, funding for the unfinished work in Typhoon Yolanda-hit areas and in Zamboanga, financing of Typhoon Lando reconstruction, and improvement of facilities in science high schools, among others. – Rappler.com