Sen. Loren Legarda affirmed that Pres. Duterte has already signed the 2017 budget.
LEGARDA – Pres. Rodrigo ‘Digong’ Duterte has already signed into law the 2017 General Appropriations Act according to Sen. Loren Legarda.
In a recent news report in InterAksyon, it is stated that the budget for 2017 amounting to PhP3.350 trillion has already been signed by Pres. Duterte, the 71-year-old Chief Executive who has recently been reported as the country’s ‘Most Googled Person’ based on a previous news.
However, the vetoed provisions in the first budget of the administration of Pres. Duterte has not been disclosed by Sen. Legarda, the Senate Committee on Finance chairperson.
Based on the report, the chair of the Senate Committee on Finance expressed that she is proud of the works that are in the budget as while it improves the trajectory of the growth of the economy of the country, it addresses the people’s needs. She even termed it as ‘pro-people’.
Furthermore, the lady Senator expressed that through the 2017 budget, the government targets to ‘fuel hope’ and inspire the Filipino citizenry to believe in the Philippines’ ‘collective future’ once again.
Sen. Legarda also disclosed some of the aspects covered by the 2017 budget. Here are some of the aspects to be provided fund:
- Universal health care coverage;
- free irrigation for farmers;
- free tuition in state universities and colleges (SUCs);
- additional allowance for teachers, police, and military;
- rice allowance for conditional cash transfer beneficiaries;
- creation of drug rehabilitation centers;
- an increase in prisoners’ subsistence allowance; and
- pension for post-World War II veterans and centenarians.
Moreover, the lady Senator disclosed that an increase in the spending of the country for the infrastructures is also one of the 2017 budget’s priorities. Meanwhile, around P8 billion budget for the Commission on Higher Education (CHED) is one of the highlights of the 2017 fund.
According to the report, the budget targets that college students in state universities and colleges in the Philippines will have no tuition fee to be paid anymore.
With the target that all Filipinos will be under the universal health program, the PhilHealth’s budget will be having a P3-billion increase according to the news report.
Meanwhile, under the No Balance Billing policy or otherwise known as the NBB policy, indigents will have nothing to pay for in the hospitals of the government. A total amount of P96.336 billion has also been allocated for the Department of Health (DOH).
According to the news report, the budget allocated for DOH includes the money to be spent on the construction of drug rehabilitation facilities and the additional facilities for the promotion of health.
