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News
July
08, 2010
Cong. Tanada gets two thumbs up for P10
M pork barrel slash
The Alternative Budget Initiative, a
consortium of a hundred civil society
organizations nationwide that pioneered
civil society engagement in the national
budget process lauded Congressman
Lorenzo Tanada III for proposing a P10
million slash from the Congressmen’s P70
million pork barrel. The Congressman
from the 4th District of Quezon Province
suggested that the amount to be saved
from the pork barrel can be used to ease
the budget deficit.
“A cut of P10 billion each from our 287
Congressmen’s pork barrel would mean
P2.87 billion that will help directly
increase the budget for critical
socioeconomic services like health,
education, agriculture and environment,”
said Prof. Leonor Magtolis-Briones, lead
convenor of Social Watch Philippines (SWP)
which organized the ABI.
“ABI /SWP already identified sources of
financing for social services to address
poverty. There is a possibility that
important expenditures might be reduced
because of the deficit. This should not
happen because the government should
look at sources of finances. There is no
excuse and they should not say that they
will cut spending for poverty, education
and health because they want to reduce
the deficit,” Briones said.
Briones said that there are many budget
items that could be tapped or realigned
to finance social services, such as the
Motor Vehicle Users’ Charge (MVUC),
Philippine Gaming Corporation (Pagcor)
and Philhealth. “The MVUC and these
institutions earn billions of money per
year that could be tapped to help 5.2
million Fillipino children who are out
of school, 27.6 million Filipinos living
below the poverty line, and to stop
Filipinos from dying every 20 minutes
because of tuberculosis,” Briones said.
“The government financial institutions
can be tapped to mobilize additional
financing as well. Cong Tanada’s
proposal to cut the pork barrel so that
the deficit may be addressed should
serve as example to President Noynoy
Aquino, to other Congressmen and
Senators and the officials of this new
administration on how to face the issue
of financing squarely,” Briones said.
“This is a very pro-poor proposal
because the budget deficit financed by
raising taxes is hurting the poor people
most. Meanwhile, even with the P10
million slash in their pork barrel, the
Congressmen would still have P60 million
to fund projects for their
constituents,” she added.
Briones also proposed that the release
of the pork barrel should be
performance-based. She suggested that
attendance to the sessions in Congress
and Senate should be a key measure.^ Back to top
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the MDGs,
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Society group challenges P-Noy, ‘Will
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business as usual?, July 27, 2010
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eradication goals – budget watchers
urged P-Noy, July 26, 2010
Ensure no pinoy left behind – social
watchers tell P-Noy, July 25, 2010
Cong. Tanada gets two thumbs up for P10
M pork barrel slash – July 8, 2010
The first thing P.Noy should do is to
release the impounded funds for basic
services – budget advocates, June 29,
2010
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