All of Congress saw the urgency of approving the 2021 national budget on time. After all, too much was at stake. The economy needs to bounce back after its historic slump in 2020 due to the Covid-19 pandemic and any delay in the budget’s passage would be akin to throwing a monkey wrench in the recovery process.
With this sense of urgency, the budget measure was transmitted to Malacañang on schedule, giving them enough time to go over the voluminous document. Thankfully, President Duterte and the hardworking people at the Department of Budget and Management and the Office of the President worked through the Christmas break to review the budget, prepare the final document, and have it signed before the year ended.
The 2021 spending plan amounts to P4.5 trillion. And it is historic, mainly because of the unprecedented humanitarian challenges to which it aims to respond.
Even after going through the give-and-take of the legislative mill, the original intent remained intact—to improve our Covid-19 pandemic response; assist those stricken not only by calamity, but also poverty, hunger, disease, and joblessness; and ultimately jumpstart the country’s recovery.
As the first Covid-19 vaccines are already being administered around the world, up to P72.5 billion will be available for a national immunization program. In fact, with the expected enactment of the extension of the appropriations under the Bayanihan to Recover As One Act (RA 11494), the Philippine government would be authorized to spend up to P82.5 billion to purchase, store, distribute, and administer Covid-19 vaccines in 2021.
We must remain vigilant though while waiting for the vaccines. This is why the 2021 budget includes up to P500 million under the Department of Interior and Local Government for contact tracing operations, which is essential to monitoring, managing, and preventing the spread of the virus. Significant funds were also appropriated for the Department of Health (DOH) to purchase more Covid-19 test kits, reagents, supplies, and viral transport and preservation systems.
Steps shall also be taken to address the infirmities in our healthcare system. In fact, the entire health sector—which includes the DOH, PhilHealth, and different hospitals and public healthcare providers—will be appropriated up to P287.472 billion, representing the third highest sectoral outlay behind only infrastructure and education.
The 2021 national budget will also ensure that assistance is provided to any Filipino who may need it. For instance, a bigger appropriation for the National Disaster Risk Reduction and Management Fund was approved—from P16 billion in 2020 to P20 billion in 2021—to empower the government to respond and save more lives in the face of natural disasters.
If this amount is added to the quick response funds or QRFs of different government agencies (totaling roughly P6.37 billion) and portions of the assistance to local government units or ALGU (worth P4.5 billion), then a little more than P30 billion has been set aside in next year’s budget for disaster response, recovery, and rehabilitation—or in short, keeping our people safe.
Meanwhile, many of our kababayans are still recovering from the loss of livelihood due to the pandemic. Hence, under the Department of Labor and Employment, up to P19.036 billion will be allocated for its Tulong Panghanapbuhay sa Ating Disadvantaged/Displaced Workers, which targets the informal sector, and nearly P500 million for the adjustment measures program, which is for displaced formal employees. Meanwhile, the Emergency Repatriation Fund, which the Overseas Workers Welfare Administration uses to assist retrenched overseas Filipino workers, shall amount to P6.192 billion next year.
Hinging on the hope that more of the economy will be opened up as 2021 unfolds, the national budget shall also provide much-needed stimulus to restart our economy. For instance, the Department of Public Works and Highways shall receive around P695 billion in a bid to refresh the administration’s push for infrastructure.
Then in a bid to further facilitate the digital transformation of the country, the National Broadband Program and the Free WiFi in Public Places program under the Department of Information and Communications Technology were appropriated P1.858 billion and P3.225 billion, respectively.
These are but some of the big ticket items in the national budget, which we believe charts a path for the country out of the tragedy of 2020.
Sen. Sonny Angara has been in public service for 16 years—nine years as Representative of the Lone District of Aurora, and seven as Senator. He has authored and sponsored more than 200 laws. He is currently serving his second term in the Senate.
E-mail: sensonnyangara@yahoo.com| Facebook, Twitter & Instagram: @sonnyangara