Proposed 2019 Budget to Prioritize Education and Infrastructure

 Print
The proposed 2019 budget, the third budget of the Duterte
Administration, is set to be submitted to Congress onJuly 23, the day
President Rodrigo R. Duterte delivers his third State of the Nation Address
(SONA). The P 3.757 trillion national budget will be the first cash-based
budget of the government, reflecting the urgent need to speed up public
service delivery to the people.

The spending priorities in the President’s Budget for 2019 remain to be

public infrastructure and human capital development. Higher investments on
infrastructure will support economic growth, targeted to reach 7% to 8% in
2019, create jobs, and spur opportunities in the countryside. Spending for
human capital, such as education, healthcare, and social protection, will
mold the country’s young population into a world-class and competent
workforce capable of sustaining the Philippine’s growth momentum.

“We are sticking to our plan of focusing on Build Build Build and social
services,” said Budget and Management Secretary Benjamin E. Diokno.
“These are the priorities we identified as early as the beginning of our term,
and we will see to it that investments on these sectors are sustained,” he
added.

Proposed 2019 Budget, Top Departments

The sector with the highest allocation is education, comprised of the

budgets of the Department of Education (DepEd), State Universities and
Colleges (SUCs), the Commission on Higher Education (CHED), and the
Technical Education and Skills Development Authority (TESDA). Its cash-
appropriations in the proposed 2019 budget amounts to P659.3 billion,
higher by P72.2 billion or 12.3% than its cash-based equivalent in the 2018
budget.

Consistent with Build Build Build, the Public Works Department (DPWH)
is allocated P555.7 billion, registering a P225.5 billion or 68.3% increase.

Interior and Local Government (DILG) comes in third, with an allocation

of P225.6 billion, higher by P53.3 billion or 30.9%. The bigger allocation will
strengthen local governance, and support the public safety initiatives of the
government.

This is followed by Defense (DND) with a budget of P183.4 billion, an

increase of P46.9 billion or 34.4%. Such an amount will bolster security and
promote peace and order in the country.

Social Welfare, composed of the budget of the Department of Social

Welfare and Development (DSWD) and the budget for Unconditional Cash
Transfers under the Land Bank of the Philippines (LBP), is fifth with an
allocation of P173.3 billion, higher by P8.9 billion or 5.4%. Funding for social
welfare will support the poverty-reduction efforts and social protection
programs of the government.

Health, which combines the budget of the Department of Health (DOH)

and the Philippine Health Insurance Corporation (PHIC), has an allocation of
P141.4 billion. The said budget will enable the government to provide
affordable and accessible healthcare to Filipinos. The said budget is 8.9%
lower than last year’s allocation due to a significant cut in the Health Facilities
Enhancement Program (HFEP), to give way to fast-moving and
implementation-ready projects given the cash-based budgeting system the
DBM is implementing.

Transportation (DOTr) has the seventh-highest allocation, with a budget

of P76.1 billion, increasing by P35.9 billion or 89.3%. It will address the need
for efficient and comfortable mass transport systems all over the country,
easing the lives of Filipino commuters.

Rounding out the top 10 are the Agriculture Department (DA), the
Judiciary, and the Autonomous Region in Muslim Mindanao (ARMM).

The DA has a budget of P49.8 billion, higher by P9.1 billion or 22.4%, to

promote agricultural development and improve the lives of those in the rural
sector.

Meanwhile, the Judiciary has a budget of P37.3 billion. This represents a

P1.9 billion or 5.4% increase for the swift and fair administration of justice.
 Lastly, the ARMM is allocated P32.3 billion, P7.9 billion or 32.4%
higher than last year. It will support the livelihood, peace and order, and rural
development projects in the region.

“The President’s Budget for 2019 will continue to provide the largest
allocations to the priority development initiatives of the government,” said the
Budget Secretary. “We have not only increased the budgetary allocations of
agencies, but also implemented reforms to speed up the delivery of essential
public goods and services to our citizens,” Secretary Diokno concluded.