Lack of budget forces Aquino to veto pro-poor measure

MANILA, Philippines (Xinhua) - President Benigno Aquino III said today that he vetoed the Magna Carta for the Poor which guarantees the provision of basic services to poor Filipinos due to lack of budget.

Aquino noted that under the proposed measure, the government should afford the poor access to food, employment and livelihood, quality education, shelter, and basic health services and medicine.

He said that while he recognizes the right of the poor to basic services, the proposed measure did not take into account the capacity of the government to fund the provision of these services.

For socialized housing alone, Aquino said the Philippine government would need to allocate P2.32 trillion ($56.83 billion) for Filipinos living below the poverty line. This, he said, is higher than the national budget of the Philippines for 2013.

As a corrective measure, Aquino said he has ordered the social cluster of his Cabinet to draw up a substitute bill that his office will forward to the next Congress.