Sans funds for condoms, budget is safe–Sotto

As far as Sen. Vicente Sotto III is concerned, the 2014 budget is “safe.”

Sotto said Wednesday that some P304 million, allotted for contraceptives in the Department of Health’s (DOH) budget, was scrapped in the P2.26-trillion budget.

The amount was realigned to other items in the budget, including the quick response funds (QRFs) of the DOH and other departments, Sotto said.

“It’s a safe budget,” he told reporters.

Under the 2014 budget, the Senate introduced a P500-million QRF in the DOH budget for the relief and rehabilitation of areas stricken by calamities, epidemics and crises.

The Senate ratified the bicameral conference committee report on the 2014 budget on Wednesday afternoon.

“The funds we were worried about were realigned to quick response funds,” Sotto said before Wednesday’s session. “As long as it’s allocated for commodities, such as IUDs, it’s a cause of grave concern.”

And with the P304-million allocation gone, Sotto said he wouldn’t mind if the government implemented its reproductive health program.—TJ Burgonio