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MANILA, Philippines – Sen. Grace Poe questioned budget officials Thursday about why flood control projects from the Department of Public Works and Highways (DPWH) received a larger allocation than the Department of Health (DOH).
DPWH’s flood control projects earned a P150 billion allocation under the proposed national budget of P4.5 trillion for 2021, while DOH only obtained a total allocation of P131.22 billion, Poe noted during the second day of budget deliberations in the Senate.
“Given that COVID-19 is still around, one would assume that improving our healthcare facilities would be the priority,” he said.
“Why are DPWH flood control projects funded more from the entire DOH budget? I just want to clarify, ”Poe added.
In response, Budget Secretary Wendel Avisado explained to senators that they tried to strike a balance between the government’s priorities in terms of budget allocations.
“We are guided by government priorities and I’m sure even as we go through the actual allocation process of all these funds, we did our best, but we will still always fall short due to environmental ambivalence,” he said. said.
“But certainly our desire is really to achieve a balance in health and the economy,” he added.
‘Daunting task’
Additionally, Avisado said the executive department is looking to work with Congress to smooth out the country’s spending plan for next year.
“We seek to precisely partner with Congress and analyze this. We are not saying that we are absolute in our calculations of what should really go to each of these departments, but certainly the task is daunting, “he said.
“That is why this will go through the process and we would like to work with you on this and if you think there is much more to do, we will work it out together,” added the budget secretary.
But Poe noted that while there are “legitimate” flood control projects, some of them are “questionable.”
“I understand your situation, but of course, well, of course, environmental factors should not be neglected and there really are some legitimate flood control projects. But as you know, there are also some flood control projects that are questionable because it is very difficult to keep track of whether they were actually completed, ”said the senator.
“Yes, you’re right,” he added, referring to Warned. “I think we can look into this in depth when we have our individual hearings for the departments and ask DPWH for clarification.”
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