By Portia Pantua-Silang

MANILA, Philippines?The 2010 national budget with almost P1.5 trillion proposed amount is currently being deliberated in the plenary of the House of Representatives. The 2010 budget was proposed by the respective executive agencies, the legislature and the judiciary in the context of normal times.

Since the preparation of the budget usually starts with the budget call of the Department of Budget and Management to different government agencies in the second quarter of the year, quite understandably, the proposed budget did not consider the magnitude of the devastation incurred from the past two storms?Ondoy (international codename: Ketsana) and Pepeng (Parma)?which both created deluge and Pepeng with landslides.

The question now is would this proposed budget suffice for the operations of the national government next year? Should it not be adjusted to accommodate all the repairs and rehabilitation work in store for all affected areas in almost all regions in Luzon?

It is hard not to immediately and considerably fund such rehabilitation of Metro Manila, Regions I, II, III and parts of Calabarzon since these areas need to rise up again. The destruction in Luzon has the impression that the whole Philippines is affected. In addition to this, damage in agricultural crops is huge and definitely, supply of rice would be short in the coming months up to early next year. Thus, there is really a need to increase the budget.

The Constitution, however, prohibits Congress to increase the amount of the proposed budget, it can decrease or amend the allocations but not increase. Hence, Congress at this instance has no choice but to pass a supplemental budget, maybe alongside with the general Appropriations Bill, or to follow.

The supplemental budget would be dedicated to infrastructure?rehabilitation works, repair of roads, bridges, irrigation canals, school buildings, government offices, drainage infrastructure, among others; livelihood programs which need to be created for our countrymen who lost their sources of livelihood, their homes; social services including the cost to repair the trauma of a damaged people, rich or poor, who almost lost everything including their loved ones in the floods/landslides, and the suffering under deluge waiting whether you are going to survive or perish at the center of the storm or the onslaught of the deluge.

This is really costly for the government which in 2009, will have a deficit maybe close to P300 billion (already P255 B in July). But it needs to allocate even this entails more loans through bond floatation, and more privatization of assets.

As the private sector, non-governmental organizations and even the international community keep on pouring support for the relief of our affected countrymen, the government during this time need not entertain new taxes as possible source of funding the national budget. Our people are already suffering, and further burden to them is anathema to their situation.

Allegations are rife that the annual national budget proposed is bloated. Whether such is true to give allowance to inflation (or maybe corruption), the grafters should be wary to do their thing since nature seems to lash its wrath.

The national leaders, including the legislators, must think solutions to prioritize and protect the environment, act on the possible effects of climate change, mitigate the irreversible damage to our ecology, and promote recycling...before it is too late.

Such solutions, I hope, are reflected in the budget and not the over-price nor the whims of those in power.

Portia Pantua-Silang is currently a doctoral student at the University of the Philippines National College of Public Administration and Governance.