MANILA, Philippines - Six departments – Education, Public Works and Highways, Interior and Local Government, Defense, Health and Agriculture – will get the biggest allocations in the proposed P2.268-trillion budget for 2014.
The Department of Budget and Management (DBM) said the government is allocating the largest portions of the proposed 2014 budget to education and infrastructure development, as it seeks P336.9 billion and P213.5 billion for the Departments of Education (DepEd) and Public Works and Highways (DPWH), respectively. Budget Secretary Florencio Abad said the pouring of more resources into the country’s public education system and infrastructure is part of keeping up with the administration’s development agenda.
Abad said the allocation for DepEd is 14.8 percent higher than the P293.4 billion this year.
He said education and the institutionalization of educational reforms would remain a top priority of the Aquino government as it seeks to raise the quality of the country’s education system.
Abad said the allocation would help cover the basic education needs of at least 16,862,916 Filipino students in the kindergarten, elementary, and secondary school levels.
“These strategic investments in the development of our human capital and our economic services are designed not only to strike at poverty’s root, but also to ensure the continued acceleration of our growth momentum,†Abad said.
He said this would reflect its commitment to advance rapid, inclusive and sustainable socio-economic development in the country.
Under the proposed budget for DepEd, a total of P44.6 billion will be used for the provision and maintenance of basic educational facilities such as the construction, repair, or rehabilitation of classrooms, sanitation or water facilities, and seats.
The amount is 77 percent higher than the 2013 allocation of P25.3 billion.
DepEd will also enjoy a 106 percent increase in its budget for the procurement of learning resources, which will get P8.3 billion next year. This will cover the provision of textbooks and science and mathematics equipment, among others.
The DPWH’s allocation of P213.5 billion is 40 percent higher than the P152.4 billion it got this year. The money would be used to build and rehabilitate roads and for flood control projects.
The DPWH is also set to implement a stronger Transport Infrastructure Program, with P137.7 billion sought for its implementation.
Another P33.4 billion is also being eyed for DPWH’s flood control projects nationwide.
Meanwhile, some P14.2 billion will be used to boost the country’s tourism development program, through which the DPWH will construct or improve access roads in declared tourist hotspots.
“The budget we’re proposing for the next fiscal year is comprehensive and forward-looking, effectively addressing not only our most urgent development requirements but also our long-term growth objectives,†Abad said.
The Department of the Interior and Local Government (DILG) will receive the third-highest allocation at P135.4 billion under the proposed budget.
The amount will be used to support DILG’s capacity expansion efforts and service delivery improvements for local governments nationwide.
Of the amount, P1.55 billion will be used for the development of important roads, community infrastructure, and other capacity-building efforts for local governments under the Payapa at Masaganang Pamayanan (PAMANA) program. – With Zinnia dela Peña