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PROTECTING THE PEOPLE IN TIMES OF CRISIS
 THE
“ORANGE BOOK”, THE DOCUMENT CONTAINING
civil society’s alternative budget proposals for
the year 2010, is titled “Protecting The People
In Times of Crisis”. In fact, crises took center
stage this year. This includes the global
economic recession which left millions of
Filipinos jobless as well as the typhoons and
floods which took thousands of lives, rendered
many families homeless and cost billions of
pesos in damages.
Meanwhile, the country is missing on targets of
ending the worst forms of human deprivation by
2015 as embodied in the Millennium Development
Goals (MDGs). More than one third of the
population is living on less than one dollar a
day. Five million children cannot go to school.
The country is among the countries with the
highest infant and maternal mortality rates in
Asia. Latest official data by the year 2006
reveal that 27.6 million Filipinos are living
below the poverty line.
The ABI repeatedly reminded Government that the
allocations for critical socioeconomic services
in the proposed 2010 budget and the additional
revenues will not be enough for rehabilitation
and reconstruction of sectors damaged by recent
calamities. It will also not be enough to
shelter the people from the impacts of
globalization and the global economic crisis.
The allocations for Economic Services, which
includes agriculture, environment, trade, power
and energy and water resources decreased by P25
billion. The total budget for Departments was
also reduced by P51 billion.
“Figures clearly show that the eight
percent increase in the budget for 2010 is not
geared towards greater spending for programs
that will have the greatest impact on economic
and social development,” said Prof. Leonor
Magtolis Briones, lead convenor of Social Watch
Philippines (SWP) which organized the ABI.
For year 2010, the Alternative Budget Initiative
(ABI) proposed a total of P25.2 billion
additional allocations for health, agriculture,
environment and education. This includes
additional allocation of P9.6 billion for
education, P2.1 billion for health, P830 million
for agriculture and P11.3 billion for
environment.
The group also proposed a total of P50 billion
alternative sources of financing to be able to
increase the budget for social development. The
alternative sources of financing includes
Special Purpose Funds, Unprogrammed Funds and
other budget items which are lump-sumps in
nature, highly discretionary, have no clear
mechanisms for accountability in utilization and
have vague or redundant purpose.
The proposed alternative budget for education
targets investing in teachers for quality
education, providing access to education, and
achieving functional literacy for all. “The
country’s international standing in education
has been significantly eroded. UNESCO’s
Education Development Index (EDI) for year 2008
ranked the Philippines 75th among 125 countries,
falling behind most Asian countries such as
China, Malaysia, Indonesia and Vietnam,” said
Rene Raya of Action for Economic Reforms (AER).
The alternative budget proposal for agriculture
will ensure crop insurance, reduction of
fertilizer and seeds subsidy and thorough study
of the devolution of agriculture extension work.
“More than half of the rural population is poor
and we are more and more becoming food insecure.
What is more important for agriculture is
ensuring that spending is cost effective,
promotes sustainable agriculture practices and
educates farmers to climate proof their farms,”
explained Hazel Tanchuling of Rice Watch and
Action Network.
For the health sector, the alternative budget
proposals will address problems on infant and
maternal mortality, unmet family planning needs,
child mortality, tuberculosis, rabies, hazardous
hospital/medical wastes, phase out of mercury in
all government hospitals and human resource
issues in the public health sector.
Meanwhile, the alternative budget proposals for
environment will address the need for critical
climate change financing priorities. This
includes renewable/sustainable energy systems;
biodiversity, sustainable agriculture, fisheries
and forestry; clean and green industrial
technology; ecological waste management; and
disaster response and risk reduction..
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Growing Support From Legislators Encourages ABI
Members
THE GROWING NUMBER OF LEGISLATORS WHO ATTEND AND
SEND THEIR SENIOR LEGISLATIVE STAFF during the
drafting stages of the alternative budget
proposals provided much encouragement and
determination to the civil society members of
the Alternative Budget Initiative (ABI).
The group presented the first draft of the
alternative budget proposals during an
integration with partner legislators held at the
Philippine Rural Reconstruction Movement (PRRM)
headquarters. It was a venue for legislators and
legislative staff to provide inputs suggestions
to improve the proposals. It was also a platform
for planning joint actions and cooperation
mechanisms in lobbying for the alternative
budget in the House of Representatives and
Senate.
Congressmen Roilo Golez and Teofisto Guingona
III participated in the activity. Senior
legislative staff of Senators Panfilo Lacson,
Loren Legarda and Allan Peter Cayetano; and
Representatives Edcel Lagman, Ronaldo Zamora,
Alfonso Umali Jr. and Lorenzo Tanada III also
actively participated. A director and several
staffs of the Congressional Planning and Budget
Division (CPBD) and senior staffs of the Senate
Economic Planning Office (SEPO) also provided
very important inputs on how ABI members can
work with Senate and Congress towards the
endorsement of the budget proposals.
During this gathering, the legislative staff and
civil society organizations (CSOs) agreed on
areas of cooperation including information
sharing and tie-ups in organizing briefings on
alternative budget proposals in the House of
Representatives and Senate. The group also
discussed how legislators and CSOs can help each
other in pushing for budget reforms and people’s
participation in the budget process including
CSO participation in legislative oversight.
The representatives of legislative offices gave
various commitments of support to the ABI
campaign. Merwin Salazar, a Director of the
Senate Economic Planning Office said that SEPO
will co-sponsor a forum on the alternative
budget proposals in Senate. Jim Florentino of
the House Minority Group presented the
alternative sources of financing listed by the
Minority Congressmen in order to support the
alternative budget proposals.
Congressman Guingona III provided updates on
various initiatives for budget reforms at the
House of Representatives.
After the meeting, Congressman Golez extensively
referred to arguments of the ABI during his
interpellations on the general principles of the
2010 budget during the start of plenary debates
in Congress on October 6, 2009. He acknowledged
the ABI, Social Watch Philippines and Prof.
Leonor Briones in his speech. He also used the
ABI-Environment and Agriculture Cluster’s
research and proposals during his
interpellations during the budget hearings on
the Department of Environment and Natural
Resources (DENR) and Department of Agriculture
(DA).
Meanwhile, the alternative budget proposals were
first presented to the House Minority Group on
September 29 at the Minority Office. Present
were Cong. Teofisto Guingona III; Cong Darlene
Antonino-Custodio; Cong. Teddy Casino; Cong.
Neri Colminares; Cong. Leonardo Montemayor;
Cong. Raymond Palatino; Cong. Joel Maglunsod;
and legislative staff of Representatives Ronaldo
Zamora, Satur Ocampo, Benjamin Asilo, Mar-Len
Abigail Binay and Cong. Luzviminda Ilagan.
Aside from the alternative budget proposals, the
discussions also focused on the need for CSO-legislature
cooperation in tracking the budget; getting
information on automatic appropriations,
Unprogrammed Funds and Special Purpose Funds
(SPF); coordinating with Commission on Audit (COA);
and pushing for the release of impounded funds.
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Committee On Appropriations Supports Campaign
For 2010 Alternative Budget
THE HOUSE COMMITTEE ON APPROPRIATIONS PROVED ITS
SUPPORT FOR PEOPLE'S PARTICIPATION
in the budget process by conducting a special
hearing for civil society groups’ alternative
budget proposals for 2010. During the hearing,
the Committee, chaired by Cong. Junie Cua,
agreed to look into the proposed realignment of
funds for social development programs. They also
agreed to raise the issue of impoundment of
funds done by the Office of the President.
“Members of the Alternative Budget Initiative or
ABI are really thankful to Cong. Cua and Cong.
Edcel Lagman and the entire Committee on
Appropriations for including civil society
groups in budget deliberations and conducting a
special hearing on our alternative budget
proposals every year for already three years,”
said former national treasurer Leonor Briones,
lead convenor of Social Watch Philippines which
organized the ABI.
“Civil society groups could not have been able
to push for a total of P5.3 billion additional
allocations for social development in the 2007
budget, P6.3 billion increases in the budget for
environment, agriculture, education and health
in the 2008 budget and P7.7. billion increases
for critical socioeconomic programs in the 2009
budget if the Committee on Appropriations has
ignored our campaign,” Briones added.
Impoundment of Congressional Initiatives
During the meeting on the alternative budget,
Cong. Lagman and Congressman Teofisto Guingona
III proposed that Congress should issue a
provision against impoundment of budget items by
the executive.
Members of the Committee were dismayed that
certain budget items that were included in the
General Appropriations Act through the
initiative of legislators are not being
released. These congressional insertions in the
national budget include the additional
allocations for health, environment, agriculture
and education proposed by the ABI.
The ABI reported to the Committee that the
budget for socioeconomic programs in the 2008
and 2009 General Appropriations Act (GAA) were
not released by the Department of Budget and
Management (DBM). Among the impounded funds in
the 2008 GAA includes P1.8 billion for Family
Health, P400 million for Tuberculosis Program,
P100 million for autoclaves; P100 million for
the promotion of organic agriculture under the
Bureau of Soils and Water Management (BSWM) and
P2 million for training for system of rice
intensification (SRI) under PhilRice.
Meanwhile, budget items for the environment in
the 2009 GAA are also not being released. This
includes P95 million for Protected Areas and
Wildlife Management and P1 billion for
reforestation.
“The legislators’ initiatives in the budget are
approved for political purposes, but the actual
funds for these budget items are not being
released. This is happening because President
Gloria Macapagal Arroyo, in 2008, introduced the
notion of conditional vet where the release of
Congress’ initiatives in the budget has to be
with her approval. She combined this with her
power to impound certain budget items and move
them to her direction,” Briones explained.
“The President always intervenes with the
release of funds. The Commission on Audit
already reported that she has transferred funds
for departments such as the Department of Public
Works and Highways and the Department of
Agriculture to Special Purpose Funds which are
under the control of the President. Once the
budget items have changed identity, they are
already out of reach of Congress,” she added.
Cong. Guingona III said that the Senate and
House of Representatives should join forces
against the issue of impoundment of funds.
Alternative Budget
Proposals for 2010
“We are very encouraged by the proposal of Cong.
Edcel Lagman that the Congressmen adopt our
entire alternative budget proposal for 2010 and
hope that the new administration in 2010 will
not impound our proposed budget items anymore,”
said Rene Raya of Action for Economic Reforms (AER).
The ABI proposed a total of P25.2 billion
additional allocations for health, agriculture,
environment and education. The group also
proposed a total of P50 billion alternative
sources of financing to be able to increase the
budget for social development. The alternative
sources of financing includes Special Purpose
Funds, Unprogrammed Funds and other budget items
which are lump-sumps in nature, highly
discretionary, have no clear mechanisms for
accountability in utilization and have vague or
redundant purpose.
The Committee on Appropriations agreed to look
at the miscellaneous personnel benefits fund,
tax expenditure fund, and interest payments to
scrutinize alternative sources of financing. The
Congressmen also agreed that the most ideal
strategy to minimize borrowings is the rational
reallocation of the budget. .
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ABI
pushes for budget for reconstruction and
rehabilitation
 THE
ALTERNATIVE BUDGET INITIATIVE (ABI) INCESSANTLY
PUSHED FOR GOVERNMENT TO RELEASE impounded
funds, use savings and increase the budget for
social development in order to accelerate
reconstruction and rehabilitation caused by
destructive typhoons and great floods that
caused billions of pesos worth of damages.
After typhoon Ondoy wreaked havoc, the ABI urged
Congress to refrain from proposing a P10 billion
supplemental budget for calamity fund and
instead advise President Gloria Arroyo to use
the P140 billion savings incurred by the
government from funds impounded in 2008.
This amount, which is recorded in the National
Expenditure Program as overall savings, was
incurred when the President did not release
funds for programs of different agencies in 2008
and transferred the total amount to overall
savings.
The ABI and Social Watch Philippines (SWP)
reminded Congress that a P10 billion
supplemental budget will only cause more
hardships for millions of hungry Filipino family
because this will just add to the country’s
ballooning deficit. The deficit, which started
at P210 billion as of end August, is expected to
breach P300 billion by the end of the year.
Hence, the group supported the House of
Representatives’ joint resolution authorizing
the use of unprogrammed funds for the proposed
P12 billion calamity fund. The group also called
on Congress to tap the balances of the 2009
budget and other non-budgetary sources to
finance the calamity fund.
“The ABI and Social Watch Philippines will
support any initiative of the legislature to
identify additional sources of funds for
disasters without having to resort to a
supplemental budget and increasing the deficit”
said former national treasurer Leonor Magtolis
Briones, lead convenor of SWP which organized
the ABI.
“The proposal to access P12 billion from
unprogrammed funds in the 2009 budget means
there is no need for a supplemental budget. This
will not increase the deficit because it is
already in the 2009 budget. However, the Lower
House has to consider the special provisions in
the use of unprogrammed funds in the 2009
budget,” Briones added.
The group also suggested that lump sums
classified as Special Purpose Funds (SPFs) may
also be tapped in times of disasters. This
includes billions of pesos under the Allocations
for Local Government Units (ALGU) which includes
the Kilos Asenso Fund and Financial Subsidy to
LGUs.
The group also pointed to non-budgetary sources
that can be tapped to finance the calamity fund.
This includes the Motor Vehicles Users’ Charge (
MVUC ) and funds from revenue earning
corporations such as the Philippine Gaming
Corporation (Pagcor) .
“The MVUC receives income from car registration
three years in advance, while part of Pagcor’s
income goes directly to the Presidential Social
Fund. The law requires that half of the net
income of Pagcor should be submitted to the
national government. These are not included in
the national budget and should be reviewed by
Congress,” Briones said.
The ABI also called on the legislature to adopt
the alternative budget proposals for health,
education, environment and agriculture so that
rehabilitation and reconstruction in the wake of
destructive typhoons can be accelerated.
The group pushed for P11.4 billion additional
funding for climate change actions in the 2010
national budget to protect Filipinos from the
impact of extreme weather conditions caused by
climate change such as the Typhoon Ondoy.
“The Philippines is naturally prone to climate
change and the safety of many people can be
summarized in three words: ‘Climate Change
Financing’,” said former national treasurer
Leonor Magtolis Briones, lead convenor of Social
Watch Philippines (SWP) which organized the ABI.
“The wrath of Ondoy should serve as a wake-up
call for government to be climate-change
sensitive and to finally adopt the budget for
climate change mitigation and adaptation
proposed by the ABI’s environment group,” she
added.
The ABI environment group, led by the La Liga
Policy Institute (LLPI) and Philippine Rural
Reconstruction Movement (PRRM), proposed that
Philippine Government should add a total of
P11.4 billion in certain items in the 2010
budget in order to become climate change
sensitive. This includes budget for (1) Climate
Change Commission for the finalization of the
Philippine climate change action framework and
plan; and, for piloting of climate change
initiatives in the top ten high risk provinces;
(2) harmonization of existing programs to a
national climate change action framework and
plan; (3) climate change actions within the
agriculture sector; (4) orientation of DENR
programs, operations and activities towards
climate change actions.; and (5) pro-active, not
just reactive, programs responding to climate
related disasters.
“Changing climate may have caused the recent
unusual flood in the capital region but
government has big responsibility for its
devastating impacts on people especially the
poor. We are in harm's way already considering
our poverty situation, the unmanaged wastes that
clog waterways, silted rivers due to severe land
degradation of the National Capital Region’s
watersheds, pollution of Manila Bay etc. Our
vulnerability to extreme weather events like
abnormal rains increases with government failure
to enforce policies that protect our communities
and make them more resilient,” said Isagani
Serrano, PRRM vice president and SWP convenor.
The ABI’s alternative budget proposal for the
environment referred to the Philippine Climate
and Weather-Related Risk Map of the Manila
Observatory and Department of Environment and
Natural Resources. According to the map on
provincial-level risks to typhoons, drought
caused by El Niño, projected rainfall change and
projected temperature increase, the top ten
provinces in terms of risk are: Albay, Pampanga,
Ifugao, Sorsogon, Biliran, Rizal, Northern Samar,
Cavite, Masbate, and Laguna. In general, the
regions of Central Luzon and Bicol rank high to
very-high on the risk scale.
“Data from the Emergency Events Database (EM-DAT)
shows that in the past ten years (1999-2009), a
total of 32.6 million Filipinos have already
been affected by environment-related disasters
with an economic damage cost estimated at P131.2
billion. We urge government to think of
sustainability instead of short term gains and
consider budget increase for environment as an
urgent matter,” Serrano said.
Back to top
ABI Joins Stand
Up Campaign
THE UNITED NATIONS MILLENNIUM CAMPAIGN (UNMC)
TAPPED SOCIAL WATCH PHILIPPINES (SWP) AS A
partner for the SUTA Press Launch held on
October 7, 2009 at the Makati Sports Club. SWP
co-convenor Marivic Raquiza was one of the
speakers during the program. She highlighted the
worsening poverty caused by the extreme typhoons
that recently hit the country.
Meanwhile, in time for the series of activities
being held for Stand Up, SWP held a discussion
with members of the Alternative Budget
Initiative (ABI) on how to highlight MDG issues
through mass media, especially now that it is
only five years left to 2015. This was held on
October 16 at the TechnoHub in Quezon City.
During the SUTA, the ABI highlighted the MDGs as
an election issue as well as the urgency of the
matter as it is only five years to 2015 and the
poverty and hunger levels are rising. The group
called on government officials aspiring for
positions in 2010 to support the alternative
budget proposals by civil society groups so that
the Millennium Development Goals (MDGs) may be
realized.
“We urge all those aspiring government positions
to support the alternative budget proposals for
P25 billion more allocation for health,
environment, agriculture and education in the
2010 budget. This is the way for the candidates
to prove that they are running for public office
because they really want to help end the worst
forms of human deprivation in this country,”
said former national treasurer Leonor Magtolis
Briones, lead convenor of SWP.
“The amount of P50 billion vague and unnecessary
budget items identified by civil society groups
which can be realigned to funding for programs
for critical socioeconomic services should be an
election issue for serious candidates,” Briones
said.
Social Watch and the UNMC earlier launched the
“I Vote for MDG” campaign, which encourages
voters to support only candidates with the MDGs
as their platform of government.
The group also stressed on the need to focus on
spending for the environment particularly on
sustainability and disaster mitigation because
climate change is hindering the achievement of
MDGs.
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Rice NGO pushes
for increased
social
protection for
farmers
NON-GOVERNMENT ORGANIZATION RICE WATCH AND
ACTION NETWORK (R1) urged the House of
Representatives and the Senate to allocate P830
million from the 2010 agriculture budget for
social protection to help the farmers cope and
recover from the impact of extreme weather
conditions due to global warming.
“The lessons of devastations brought about by
the last two typhoons, especially Pepeng are
clear markings on the walls both for the
government and the Filipinos’ capacity to
respond to the threats of climate change. The
poor farmers will always be helpless victims
unless the government prioritizes social
protection for the farmers,” said Jessica
Reyes-Cantos, R1 lead convenor.
R1 submitted its agriculture budget proposal,
along with the other proposals of the Social
Watch Philippines’ Alternative Budget Initiative
(ABI), to Rep. Junie Cua, chair of the House
Committee on Appropriations.
Cantos said their proposal focused on
community-based and indigenous rain water
collection through Small Water-Impounding
Project (SWIP). Each costs P50,000 that may be
placed in every hectare of rice land. R1
proposed that the government provide SWIP for
10,000 hectares amounting to a total of P500
million.
“We do not want to see a major irrigation
project becoming useless for lack of water
during the dry season while water is wasted as
runoff during the wet season. We have seen palay
waiting for harvest lay wasted after being
submerged in flooded farms due to intense rains
during the rainy months. On the other hand, the
threat of El Niño during the dry season will
lead to soil desertification, leaving the soil
virtually useless for planting,” explained
Cantos.
The Department of Agriculture (DA) reported
yesterday that damage to the agriculture sector
caused by tropical storm “Ondoy” and typhoon
“Pepeng” has reached P10 billion.
Losses in rice were recorded in all provinces of
the Cordilleras and the Ilocos region, Cagayan
and Nueva Vizcaya in Cagayan Valley, Nueva Ecija
and Pampanga in Central Luzon, Albay and
Camarines Norte in Bicol.
About 35,207 hectares were reportedly completely
damaged while 150,558 hectares may recover. The
Value of destroyed harvestable palay is close to
P5 billion, while investment of farmers who lost
crops in seedling/vegetative stage amounts to
P81 million.
Initial studies conducted by R1 found that the
effects of climate change can be neutralized by
a simple change in the farming system. Some
experts consulted by R1 recommended possible
adjustment in the cropping calendar, appropriate
extension work to increase the farmers’
resiliency against the vagaries of the weather,
and direct soil fertilization to manage the
deficiency in soil nutrients due to massive
chemical fertilization and pesticide inputs.
R1 proposed additional funding for PHILRICE
worth P250 million to create a Task Force on
Climate Change that will cover training costs,
resource persons, module and training materials
addressing 30 rice-producing provinces.
“Farmers experienced crop losses, low yields and
even greater pest infestations brought about by
these extreme climatological events. This may
potentially lead to higher grain prices that
will also endanger their livelihood,” Cantos
said.
Also included in the agriculture budget proposal
of R1 are adequate funding for crop insurance
with easier access to small farmers, elimination
of the subsidies for hybrid seeds and to
seriously assess the effectiveness of devolved
agriculture extension services among the local
government units.
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Damages to education is not an excuse to
borrow funds
WITH
THE THREAT OF AT LEAST THREE MORE STORMS SLATED
TO HIT THE COUNTRY BY DECEMBER
of
this year, the talk now is how to
rehabilitate the areas badly devastated by
typhoons Ondoy and Pepeng. Affected families
from 364 municipalities, 36 cities in 27
provinces continuous to grapple with the damages
caused by the two typhoons.
According to the October 23, 2009 report posted
on the NDCC website, the damage is estimated to
cost around Php 19.776 Billion. For the
Department of Education the damages to 1,295
schools, of which 1,047 were elementary schools
and 242 high schools amounting to Php750 Million
including instructional materials and school
equipment. Ongoing repair and rehabilitation of
damaged school buildings in 30 schools with 179
classrooms amounting to PhP39,742,048. One
thousand one hundred eighteen (1,118) schools
were damaged in CAR, I, II, III and V: 942
Elementary Schools and 176 High Schools
amounting to PhP436.614 Million. One hundred
fifty five (155) schools were used as evacuation
centers: 20 in CAR, 74 in Region I, 19 in Region
II and 42 in Region III which housed 9,186
family evacuees. There have been 144 schools
used as evacuation centers now reduced to only
132 housing 13,906 IDPs, and a total of 239 day
care centers in Metro Manila were damaged, while
40 schools are still flooded as of this writing.
Indeed, rehabilitation of these schools are
badly needed, and the cost are staggering,
specially for a sector that enjoys the highest
allocation in the national budget. But for civil
society organizations like E-Net Philippines who
constantly lobby for the increase in the budget
of the DepEd, specially for the Alternative
Learning System (ALS), the current budgetary
allocation of the Deped does not even cover up
for the actual needs of both the formal system
and those programs that seeks to address the
needs of OSY i.e., ALS.
With the destruction of at least 1,295 schools,
and less allocation for repair and
rehabilitation, the DepEd will really have a
hard time in managing its finances to cope up
with the growing demands for rehabilitation in
the aftermath of these disasters.
Cecilia Soriano, E-Net National Coordinator,
welcomed the recognition by the NDCC of people
affected by typhoons as Internally Displaced
Persons (IDPs), but E-Net also expressed concern
about the absence of a programmatic approach in
ensuring education for these IDPs both for
conflict affected areas as well as those that
have been devastated by natural disasters.
E-Net is equally alarmed of the fact that the
government is bent on borrowing Php50 Billion
pesos worth of bonds to be used for the
rehabilitation of the overall damages brought by
typhoon Ondoy and Pepeng. Soriano said, “While
we call on the government to implement measures
to ensure education for Internally Displaced
Persons (IDPs), and to immediately rehabilitate
the damaged school system, we don’t want to see
education being used as an excused to borrow
funds that will become a burden for Filipinos in
the long run.” Further, we ask what the
Department of Education intends to do about the
savings for the 2008 budget amounting to around
34,145,875? The need for the urgency of repair
and rehabilitation of damaged schools,
instructional materials and equipment, may bear
an impact in the long run for children who will
not be able to go back to school , this will
greatly influence another round of increase in
the number of OSY in the country”, Soriano
warned.
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PGMA urged to release
P2.3 Billion health budget
HEALTH CARE WITHOUT HARM-SOUTHEAST ASIA (HCWH-SEA)
LED ALTERNATIVE BUDGET INITIATIVE (ABI) members
in a signature campaign to to urge President
Gloria Macapagal Arroyo to release the
appropriations made in the national budget of
2008 (R.A. No. 9498) for the Department of
Health (DOH). This includes the Php 100 million
(US$2 million) for the purchase of autoclave
machines for infectious medical waste treatment,
the Php 400 million (US$8 million) for the
tuberculosis program and the Php 1.82 billion
(US$37 million) for family health.
"The Php 100 million for autoclaves is important
to enable our DOH hospitals to disinfect the
infectious waste they dispose, making sure their
waste is free from disease-causing pathogens.
Without the proper equipment to disinfect the
waste hospitals regularly dispose, people can
potentially be exposed to pathogens (AH1N1
included) and get infected," said Mercy Ferrer,
Executive Director of HCWH-SEA.
"The Php 400 million for the department’s TB
program is intended for the treatment of 100,000
children with primary complex and 133 patients
with multi-drug resistant TB. This additional
fund is needed especially to protect children of
school age who might become carriers of
infectious TB. If government treatment policy is
to be limited in its reach, TB will never be
successfully eradicated," Ferrer added.
In their letter to the President, the group
reminded PGMA that with the country’s high
maternal mortality rate (MMR) which ranks among
the highest in Asia, the release of the
remaining Php1.82 billion is certainly critical.
Despite the efforts to reduce maternal deaths,
many Filipino women still die during pregnancy
or childbirth. That is, for every 100,000 live
births in the Philippines, 162 women die during
pregnancy and childbirth or shortly after
childbirth (2006 Family Planning Survey). Thus,
the release of the remaining Php 1.82 billion is
certainly critical if the government is serious
in achieving the Millennium Development Goal of
improving maternal health.
"We
understand that these additional funds made
available to the Department of Health (DOH) are
congressional amendments, but they are
meritorious allocations approved by Congress and
will surely redound to the benefit of the
people. When the current dark cloud that hangs
on every countries’ economy is gone, there is no
surer way to seize the opportunities of an
economic upswing than by ensuring now that the
Philippines is contributing to strong and
healthy nations," Ferrer said.
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Gov’t told to go easy on
plan to issue P50 billion ‘reconstruction
bond’
"THE
GOVERNMENT SHOULD GO EASY ON ITS PLAN TO RAISE
MONEY BY ISSUING P50 BILLION WORTH of
reconstruction bond to boost rehabilitation
effort in typhoon-affected areas in Metro Manila
and Luzon that were ravaged by Ondoy and Pepeng.
Former national treasurer Leonor-Magtolis
Briones said the government’s capacity to pay
back foreign and local creditors has greatly
been reduced by its failure to hit its own
revenue collection targets in the past.
“The best way to raise money to finance
government operations is to strengthen its tax
collection efficiency,” Briones, Lead Convenor
of Social Watch Philippines which organized the
Alternative Budget Initiative (ABI) said.
Briones was reacting to Malacanang’s
pronouncement that it is planning to issue bonds
to raise P50 billion to augment its already
depleted calamity fund in 2009, even if
lawmakers are seemed to be inclined to approve
P12 billion ‘supplemental budget’ sought by
Malacanang, ahead of the proposed P1.54-Trillion
national budget for 2010.
She suggested that the government consider
declaring a moratorium on tax incentives granted
to foreign and local companies that do not need
such tax incentives, anyway, and do away with
declaring tax holidays that benefit only
transnational and multinational companies.
For his part, Jonathan Ronquillo, Environment
Campaigner of the policy research and advocacy
group La Liga Policy Institute (LLPI) said the
government should also avoid revenue avoiding
measures, such as laws that allow revenue losses
instead of gains.
He insisted that the government use the P140
billion government savings in 2008, or whatever
remains of it, to boost its on-going
rehabilitation effort in typhoon-affected areas.
LLPI, which acts as secretariat of the
Environment Cluster of ABI, is proposing an
additional P11.4 billion for the environment and
natural resources sector to make the proposed
2010 national budget ‘climate sensitive’.
Moreover, he said the government should hasten
the release of the remaining P1 billion fund of
the Department of Environment and Natural
Resources (DENR) for 2009, to boost the
country’s forest management as a strategy in
mitigating climate change.
The P1 billion ‘impounded budget’ is intended
for various programs and projects of the DENR
related to forest management, specifically the
massive rehabilitation of the country’s denuded
forests.
“The government should not consider borrowing
money as the only option. There are readily
available sources of fund which the government
can use for disaster response that will have
lesser impact to the already burdened
Filipinos,” he said.
Briones laughed off plans to borrow money
through the reconstruction bonds, when in fact
the government has yet to come up with a
realistic assessment of the damage wrought by
the two typhoons.
“Where did they come up with the figure? What’s
their basis of borrowing P50 billion when it has
not yet determined the extent of the damage of
Ondoy and Pepeng?” she asked
Briones said the government should also consider
the danger of borrowing money without
considering its capacity to pay back creditors
of its debt, with high interest rates such as
bond issuance.
She said the government should also try to
salvage whatever is left of the calamity fund in
2009 and match it with the estimated cost of
rehabilitating typhoon-affected areas before
looking for possible sources of funds that will
not cause foreign and local debt to balloon to
critical levels. Back to top
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