Drilon, Ejercito seek P24-B raise for DOH budget 

Senator Joseph Victor “JV” Ejercito and Senate President Pro Tempore Franklin Drilon. INQUIRER FILE PHOTOS

MANILA, Philippines—Two senators on Tuesday pushed to raise the Department of Health’s (DOH) budget by at least P24 billion this year.

During his interpellation of the DOH’s budget, Senate Minority Franklin Drilon pushed for additional P16.8 billion for the agency’s Health Facilities Enhancement Program (HFEP).

But Senator JV Ejercito, who was defending the DOH’s budget, said the agency needs another P7.4  billion for the human resource for health (HRH).

The fund in the HRH will be used for the continuous employment of more than 10,000 nurses and health professionals deployed throughout the country, Drilon explained in a statement.

During the interpellation, Drilon noted that from P107.2 billion budget last year, the DOH’s budget was reduced to P79.7 billion in 2019 based on the National Expenditure Program (NEP) or the President’s proposal.

From P30.2 billion last year, the HFEP budget was reduced to only P50 million in 2019 while the HRH budget was reduced to only P1.7 billion from last year’s  P9.5  billion.

READ: P16.8-B DOH budget for health units to be restored

“Kawawa naman itong ahensya,” Drilon  said.

The  reduction in the DOH’s budget, he said, was allegedly due to the agency’s “inefficiency.”

But DOH Secretary Francisco Duque III, through Ejercito, said the allegation was not “justified.”

“Because according to them as of December 30, 2018, 89 percent or P26.9  billion has been obligated,” Ejercito said, still quoting Duque.

Drilon said the DOH budget cut was unfair, considering the over P102 billion added to the budgets of the Department of Public Works and Highways (P75 billion) and the Department of the Interior and Local Government (P27 billion) even without the knowledge of the two agencies.

He later told the body that the P16.8 billion for HFEP and P7.4 billion for HRH or a total of P24.2 billion additional budget for DOH could be sourced from the “insertions” made in the DPWH and the DILG.

Ejercito said the proposal would be “most welcome” for the DOH. /jpv