Duterte signed the General Appropriations Act of 2021 before some members of Congress such as Senate President Vicente Sotto III and House Speaker Lord Allan Velasco in Malacañang.
Next year’s budget is expected to fund measures aimed at
improving the country’s healthcare system, ensuring food security, increasing
investments in public and digital infrastructure, and helping communities cope
with the COVID-19 pandemic.
Around P23 billion has been realigned by lawmakers for the
rehabilitation of communities affected by the strong typhoons that hit the
country this year.
The approved spending plan also contains an allocation of
P72.5 billion for the purchase, storage, transportation, and distribution of
COVID-19 vaccines.
The government will also spend P71.4 billion to subsidize
the health insurance premiums of 13 million indigent families and seven million
senior citizens and P4.7 billion for the procurement of more than two million
sets of personal protective equipment for hospitals, laboratories and regional
swab centers.
According to the Department and Budget and Management, the
top 10 departments/sectors in terms of allocation are the following:
Education sector: P751.7 billion
Department of Public Works and Highways: P695.7 billion
Department of the Interior and Local Government: P249.3
billion
Department of Health: P210.2 billion
Department of National Defense: P205.8 billion
Department of Social Welfare and Development: P176.9 billion
Department of Transportation: P87.9 billion
Department of Agriculture: P71 billion
Judiciary: P45.3 billion
Department of Labor and Employment: P37.1 billion
The fight for speakership had threatened to delay the
passage of the 2021 budget in the House of Representatives, prompting Duterte
to certify the measure as urgent and call for a special session of Congress in
October.
"The prompt ratification of the 2021 national budget is
a testament to our commitment to set aside divisive partisan politics. Indeed,
at this crucial juncture in our history, we can no longer afford to engage in
the politics of division, hate, and finger-pointing," Duterte said in his
speech.
In a statement, Senate finance committee chairperson Sonny
Angara thanked the President for the prompt enactment of the national budget.
"There is too much at stake in the 2021 budget,"
Angara said.
"The economy is set to bounce back after a historic
slump this year due to the COVID-19 pandemic and any delay in the passage of
the budget would be akin to throwing a monkey wrench in the recovery
process."
Angara also said the soon-to-be enacted extension of the
validity of funds under the 2020 national budget and the Bayanihan to Recover
as One Act will provide the government with the tools needed to address the
pandemic.
Measure vs. COVID-19
Speaker Lord Allan Velasco hailed the signing of the
P4.5-trillion national budget for next year, which he described as an
"all-important measure" to help the government respond and address
the COVID-19 pandemic.
Velasco himself witnessed the signing of the 2021 General
Appropriations Act by President Rodrigo Duterte in Malacañang, along with House
Majority Leader Martin Romualdez, Committee on Appropriations chair Eric Yap
and their counterparts from the Senate.
"The P4.506-trillion national budget approved by
Congress is the biggest by far and will better position the Philippines to beat
the public health crisis and rise from its devastating effects," Velasco
said in a statement following the signing of the law.
"This is also a reflection of our government’s serious
commitment and strong resolve to defeat the virus and bring the economy back on
track," he added.
Velasco highlighted the P72.5 billion allocation under the
2021 GAA to be used for the purchase, storage, transportation and distribution
of COVID-19 vaccines.
Another P2 billion has also been earmarked for the purchase
of personal protective equipment for frontline health workers to ensure their
safety as they perform their duty of treating COVID-19 patients, he added.
—with a report from Erwin Colcol/AOL/NB, GMA News
This article Duterte signs P4.5-T national budget for 2021
was originally published in GMA News Online.
