The new chief of the Governance Commission for Government-Owned and Controlled Corporations (GCG) on Friday assured senators he will fast track the process of abolishing nonperforming state corporations despite a modest proposed budget of P245.7 million for 2023.
Fielding questions from, among others, Senator Sherwin Gatchalian, who presided over the Finance Subcommittee E hearing on the proposed GCG budget, chairman Alex Quiroz committed to review and introduce “some dynamics” to hasten the process.
With the appointment of Quiroz and new commissioners, Gatchalian aired confidence there will be “a lot of improvement” in the agency.
“I know the budget is not so big, considering the overall budget of the national government,” the senator noted, adding, “My principle is always there’s a new chance of improving the agency under a new management.”
In the hearing, Gatchalian asked Quiroz what strategies could be employed to remove bottlenecks in the process of abolishing government-owned corporations, noting that about 25 corporations are still in various stages of liquidation for almost 10 years already.
The proposed 2023 budget for GCG under the national expenditure program is P50.4 million higher than the current year’s allocation.
Per expense class, GCG’s P245.7-million budget under the national expenditure program is 40 percent personnel services (P97.28 million) and 60 percent maintenance and other operating expenses (P148.4 million).