Duterte signs a national budget of $ 4.5 trillion by 2021

MANILA (TO UPDATE) – President Rodrigo Duterte signed the country’s P4.506 trillion spending plan for 2021 on Monday, which seeks to reactivate the pandemic-ravaged economy and improve the country’s response to the ongoing COVID-19 crisis.

Duterte said that the General Appropriation Law “attests to the importance of an active and fruitful collaboration between the Executive and Legislative branches of the government, especially at this time when the health and well-being of our people is at stake.”

Among the main recipients of the national budget are the following, according to the budget department.

• Department of Education, with P751.7 billion or 16.7 percent of the budget
• Department of Public Works and Highways, with P695.7 billion (15.4 percent)
• Department of the Interior and Local Government, with P249.3 billion (5.5 percent)
• Department of Health, with P210.2 billion (19.6 percent more than its 2020 budget)
• Department of National Defense, with P205.8 billion
• Department of Social Welfare and Development, with P176.9 billion
• Department of Transportation, with P87.9 billion
• Department of Agriculture, with PhP71 billion
• Judiciary, with PhP45.3 billion
• Department of Labor and Employment with P37.1 billion

The budget includes PhP72.5 billion for the purchase, storage, transportation, and distribution of COVID-19 vaccines, Duterte said.

“As we look forward to the next year, let me assure the public that this administration will ensure efficient use of resources through sound fiscal policy that will allow us to overcome the debilitating effects of the pandemic on public health and our economy,” said the president.

“I cannot emphasize this enough: Every penny of this budget must be spent to ensure our nation’s recovery, resilience and sustainability.”

The Speaker of the House of Representatives, Lord Allan Velasco, previously said that the 2021 spending plan is the government’s “most powerful tool” to fight the coronavirus, to help Filipinos and the economy recover from the devastating impact of the pandemic. .

Senator Panfilo Lacson had criticized what he called the “tampering” with next year’s national budget, saying that even the pandemic did not prevent “greedy lawmakers” from prioritizing their favorite projects over COVID-19 response programs.

Lacson alleged that some lawmakers preferred to have infrastructure built in their constituencies not only to help their constituents but also to increase their personal income.

“The early ratification of the 2021 national budget is a testament to our commitment to put aside parties and divisive politics,” Duterte said.

“At this crucial juncture in our history, we can no longer afford the luxury of engaging in politics of division, hatred and accusations,” he added.

– with reports from Job Manahan, ABS-CBN News

WATCH: