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News
April 9, 2009
Alternative Budget Initiative budget
proposals adopted in the National Budget
for 2009
Civil Society offers victories to the
poor
The
Alternative Budget Initiative (ABI), a
consortium of 60 nongovernment
organizations which initiated
legislator-civil society partnership for
better allocation for social
development, called for a celebration of
the death and resurrection of Christ
with the poor as the group celebrates
the adoption of their alternative budget
proposals in the General Appropriations
Act (GAA) for 2009.
“We offer
our small and humble victories in
proposing alternative budget proposals
for more allocations for social
development to the poor Filipinos,
especially this Lenten Season,” said
former national treasurer Leonor
Magtolis Briones, lead convenor of
Social Watch Philippines, which
organized the ABI. “The Lenten Season,
which is a celebration of the death and
resurrection of Christ, should remind us
of the sufferings and sacrifices of the
poor – the farmers who toil the land,
the laborers who work all day, the
overseas workers who sacrifice time with
their families, the teachers who provide
hope for the children – and still they
experience hunger, sickness and
poverty,” explained Briones.
“The worst
is yet to come, the global recession is
going to hit those below the poverty
line, millions are going to loose their
jobs and more families will be fasting
day by day. The Philippines is among the
ten countries with the highest poverty
level in the Asia Pacific and is one of
the most disaster prone countries in the
world. Hence, civil society worked on
alternative budget proposals for
increased allocations for education,
health, agriculture and environment so
that Filipinos will be resurrected or
saved from their sufferings,” said Rene
Raya of Action for Economic Reforms (AER).
Sabyte
Lacson of the La Liga Policy Institute
said that, because of the ABI’s budget
proposals, the 2009 environment budget
is a big improvement to what was
initially prepared by the executive for
congressional deliberations, both in
form and substance. She also highlighted
victories in the group’s advocacy
against highly discretionary budget
items.
“Augmentations in the Environment
Management Bureau (EMB) amounting to
P84.7 Million are clear gains for
the ABI. This include the creation of
new items for the implementation of
Clean Water Act of 2004 and Ecological
Solid Waste Management Act of 2000, and
the increase for legal services on
pollution. Note that the budget prepared
by the executive for EMB was untouched
in the GAB version. This clearly reflect
how allies at the Senate have pushed for
the augmentations, specifically Senator
Pia Cayetano,” said Lacson.
Lacson
added that as a response to ABI's major
critique of on special purpose and lump
sum appropriations in the budget, the
allocations related to natural resource
conservation indicated congressional
attempts to lessen the discretionary
nature of the P2 Billion reforestation
lump sum.
“Relevant
items in the Economic Stimulus Fund also
responds to ABI's proposal albeit took a
different form. For instance, the Bantay
Gubat and Bantay Kalikasan Program
amounting to P1 Billion for
protection of forest and coastal
resources involving communities is
consistent to the framework being
pursued by ABI. Thus, ABI's proposals
have been crafted to highlight
government support for programs along
community-based forest management (CBFM)
and coastal resource management (CBRM),”
she said.
“On the
other hand, the ESF item Recycling of
Agricultural and Forest Wastes amounting
to P70 Million may be viewed as
an adoption of ABI's proposal termed as
“Trash to Treasure: Transforming Solid
Waste Problems to Viable Solutions tot
he Food and Fuel Crises,” Lacson added.
Meanwhile,
out of the 11 ABI proposals for the
health budget, four was approved in the
recently signed 2009 GAA. “The increased
allocations for
provisions for
a pool of 60 resident physicians, health
promotion, and formulation of policies,
standards, and plans for hospital and
other health facilities; and the
inclusion of the budget for a P31,
555,563 budget for Rural Midwife
Placement Program which was not in the
executive’s budget proposal are our
offerings to those who do not have
access to health care,” said Cecile
Bilbao of the Institute for Public
Health Management. “These budget items
constitute P463, 648,563 million of the
P4.7 billion total ABI health
proposals,” she added.
The ABI’s
proposals for increases in the budget
for State Universities and Colleges were
also included in the GAA. Among these
schools are the Philippine Normal
University,
Polytechnic
University of the Philippines, Don
Mariano Marcos Memorial State
University, Benguet State University,
Cagayan State University, Central Luzon
State University, Cavite State
University, Leyte Normal University,
Central Mindanao University, University
of Southeastern Philippines, Mindanao
State University.
The ABI
also celebrated the increases in the
budget for Bureau of Fisheries and
Aquatic Resources (BFAR), which is part
of the group’s advocacy for better
allocation for the agriculture sector.
Increases in the budget of the Office of
the Secretary of the Department of
Education and Department of Environment
and Natural Resources and the Office of
the Director General of the National
Economic Development Authority are also
part of the alternative budget
proposals.
“It is
very timely that we can offer the
increases in the budget for social
development to the poor families during
this Lenten Season. This season should
remind us of issues of poverty, justice,
peace and the environment within the
context of the Christian faith. This is
what Jesus Christ taught us when he
lived amongst the people,” said Briones.
“Therefore, we call on government
officials to prioritize the release of
the budget for health, education,
agriculture and environment for the sake
of the people instead of campaigning for
the 2010 elections or being preoccupied
with cha-cha,” she added.
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