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Wednesday, August 7 ,2019

Proposed P4.1T budget for 2020

rcady for Congress review
BY JOCELYTTI MONTEMAYOR
MAIACANaNG is ready to sub-
mit to Congress the proposed P4.1
trillion national budget for 2020,
which Ptesident Duterte approved
on Monday night during a meeting
with his Cabinet secretaries.
The P4.1 trillion proposed bud-
get is 72 percent higher than this
trillion expenditute
year's -P3.7
program, and equivplent to L9.4
percent of the gross domestic
product.
The Department of Budget
and Management (DB1\4 said it
is now in the process of frnahzng
the details of the recommended
2020 budget and preparing other
documents to be attached to the
appropriations measure for sub-
mission to Congress before the
30-day constitutional deadline
which ends on August 21.
In a statement, the DB!{ said
the2020 budget aims to ilrespond
to the needs of the Filipino people,
embody the hopes and dleams
See PROPOSED > Page 86

sel and concurrent presidential He said he will likewise demand

and non-experts are the ones giv-
ing their opinions. That saddens
us," Lofenzo said.
"It is saddening because many
patients gto-ur fearful of vaccines.
\Te hope that they will just leave
the discussions to scientists and
experts on this aspect. Otherwise,
they will iust cause more conf,u-
sion," she added.
Former Department of Health
secretary and now Iloilo Rep. Ja-
nette Garin has eatlier said Acosta
has no right to talk about health
issues since she is not a health
exPeft.
I-menzo said they cannotblame
patients if they are lured to believe
the voices of non-experts since the
latter tend to be "noisier".
'I\Mho will the people believe?
The tendency is to believe the
noisier ones. They scare patients
and then these are being h11>ed,"
I-menzo said. She tefused to an-
swer when asked if she was refer-
ring Public Attorney's Office chief
Persida Rueda-Acosta,
"Who are these patients she
supposedly represents? 1 or 2 does
not really represent everybody.
With us, our voices really come
from patient leadets. Voices that
come from the ground," I-atEnzo
also said.
Lorenzo said patients are in fa-
vor of lifting the ban on Dengvaxia
PROPOSED
of every cittzen, and rcahze the
promises" made by the Duterte
administration.
It also said the proposed bud-
get, which carries the theme
"Continuing the Journey to a
More Peaceful and Progressive
Philippines" is consistentwith the
adminisfration's goal of making
the Philippines a middle-income
counfty where no one lacks op-
portunities.
"Every peso of the ptoposed
P4.1 trillion FY 2020 Budget
went through numerous levels of
scrutiny and approval, and budget
hearings and consultations with
the agencies. Every step of the
budget process leeps in mind the
objective of liftingmillions of Fili-
pinos out of poverty and creating
opportunities for them,'l it added.
Speaker Alan Peter Cayetaao
said the House leadership expects
to pass the P4.1 trillion proposed
national budget for 2020 before
they go on a break in October.
The Speaker said the Housewill
hold simultaneous hearings to ex-
pedite the bill's passage right after
the Executive submits the General
Appropriations Bill (GAB) to the
House which may happen from
August 16 to 20.
Chief Presidential L.g"l Coun-
spokesman Salvador Panelo said a "before and aftef' timetable of
he has yet to see the full proposed the ptocessing of the documents,
measure but the biggest chunk of from request to release, sim{ar to
the budget will be allocated" for a "promissorynote" on the reduc-
the_eduqation sector, followed by tion'of processing times.
public works and uansportation "Anti-red tape peiformance
infrastructutes, and health. will now be part of the budget
"'fhis budget proposal is de- review. These will also be parr of
of
signed to respond to the needs the key performance indicators
the majority of our countrymen that an agency ptomises to meet
longing to be uprooted from the in exchange for the appropriations
decades of want of basic fleces- it will get," Angara, who is one of
sities, inadequate supply of basic the authors of the Ease of Doing
services, lack of infrastructures Business Act, said.
required to spru economic growth, Angara reminded agencies that
absence of accountability on gov- aside from processing tirnes, the
ernment coffers, vexing bureau- numberof documentary tequire-
ctatic dgmarole, depdved educa- . ments should be reduced too.
tion and unchanged poverty, and "Sfhen you teduce the number
geared to achieve a more peaceful of documents, the speed bywhich
and progressive Philippines where an application moves increases.
the living standards of Filipinos are Not only does it cut time, itwould
taised," Panelo said. cut costs too," he said.
Senate finance committee chair President Duterte in his fourth
Sen. Juan Edgardo Angara said State of the Nation Address on
government agencies should in- J:uly 22 ordered that the processing
clude proposals on how to cut of business permits be limited to
red tape in their offices when three days as he lamented the dif-
they present their respective 2020 ficulty for businessmen to secure
budgets. permits before they are allowed to
Angansaid he will quiz agencies set up their investments.
about their "performance andtar- The country's rank in the Wodd
gets" against red tape and actions Bank's ease of doing business re-
taken to implement their "ease of portwent down to 724thn2079,
doingbusiness" mandates to check 11 places from 113rd in 2018. -
if they deserve rnore funding. With Vince Nonato

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