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News
January 20, 2011
Extreme vigilance over lump sums urgent
in 2011
Member-organizations of the Social Watch
Philippines network and the Alternative
Budget Initiative call on all citizens
and the mass media to exercise extreme
vigilance over the 2011 national budget
as poverty alleviation programs were cut
and sacrificed to favor budget for other
pro-poor programs instead of using the
huge amount of lump sum appropriations
to increase the budget for critical
socioeconomic services for the
marginalized sectors.
The lump sum
items, which are highly discretionary
and prone to corruption, include the P21
billion Conditional Cash Transfer
Program budget under the Department of
Social Welfare and Development (DSWD),
the P30.5 billion Unprogrammed Funds –
Support for Infrastructure Projects and
Social Programs, the P1 billion fund -
subsidy for contingencies, and
Public-Private Partnership Support Fund.
Meanwhile,
the 2011 budget for education,
environment and health remains
problematic. The questionable lump sums
should have been used to increase the
budget for socioeconomic services
instead of sacrificing budget items
within each sector to finance the other
programs.
The
education sector has the biggest
increase in the 2011 budget law in the
amount of P750 million. Yet, the
education budget itself still does not
reflect investment in programs to reach
the unreached or less-privileged and
improved governance and transparency.
The realignment of the lump sum for
basic education to create new teaching
positions is insufficient to provide
quality education.
The budget
law allocates a measly P13.1 billion for
the environment and natural resources
sector despite the threats of climate
change-triggered natural disasters such
as super typhoons, flashfloods and even
agricultural drought. This defies the
Government’s promise of giving climate
change utmost priority.
For health,
the ABI laments on the P251.35 million
slash from the family planning budget,
which accounts to P754.35 million
overall decrease as against the 2010
General Appropriations Act. This will
ultimately derail the unmet need for
family planning and will not help attain
goals on improving maternal health. The
budget cut affects the expenses for all
the family planning programs of the
Department of Health, and not solely for
the acquisition of contraceptives.
For
agriculture, the government should
provide more funds for the National Food
Authority (NFA) to buy rice from the
local farmers; and to provide
climate-resistant livelihood for fishers
in the light of massive poverty among
coastal communities in the Philippines.
If nothing is done about this, hunger
and poverty will worsen especially in
the countryside.
SWP/ABI
appeals to all stakeholders to be most
vigilant on how the government will
spend taxpayers’ money in 2011,
especially the lump sum appropriations.
SWP/ABI will continue to engage the
executive and legislative government in
the budget process and demand for a
broader citizens’ participation.
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Whistleblowers advise P-Noy to hone new
Government workers as army against
corruption
Groups show strong support to Congress’
Bills on People’s Participation in
Budgeting, February 22, 2011
Congress urged to Act Fast on People’s
Participation in Budget Deliberations
Act, February 20, 2011
Extreme vigilance over lump sums urgent
in 2011, January 20, 2011
Study
reveals scant Filipino people power on
public funds, January 20, 2011
Budget activists hit signing of 2011
budget law, December 28, 2010
House Speaker and
Senate President pledged more funds for
the MDGs,
September 15, 2010
Citizens’ groups
offer Shadow Report to help Gov’t catch
up on MDGs, September 15, 2010
Civil
Society group challenges P-Noy, ‘Will
you be the President to accomplish the
MDGs under your watch or will it be
business as usual?, July 27, 2010
Reveal and use
invisible budgets to achieve poverty
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
Noy told: ‘Don’t
do a Gloria’;
Release
budget on time - Group
UN Millennium
Campaign urges decisive actions from new
administration
Probe Launches
Search for the Philippines’ MDG Warriors
Kaakbay Nominee,
Briones hits IMF and DOF for the VAT
Increase Proposal
LGU-Civil Society
Partnership for the MDGs - set off in
Negros Oriental
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