FILE – Electric poles stand in the middle of rows of floating houses in the village of Sabang Adgawan, one of the remote areas of Agusan del Sur that are beneficiaries of an electrification program funded by DAP. CHRIS V. PANGANIBAN/INQUIRER MINDANAO
MANILA, Philippines — The House of Representatives aims to realign funding for the government’s total nationwide electrification program in 2020, Speaker Alan Peter Cayetano revealed Tuesday.
Cayetano said the House has asked the Department of Energy (DOE) to further brief them about the government’s electrification program, whose budget for 2020 amounts to P1 billion.
“I don’t think na may dahilan in this modern age na may lugar pa sa Pilipinas na walang kuryente… Dapat walang municipality or barangay na hindi energized,” he told reporters in an interview when asked about the plan of the House to realign funds in the proposed P4.1-trillion 2020 budget.
“We are asking magkano (ang kailangan) to complete it in two or three years, kung hindi man one year,” Cayetano added.
The House leader earlier said the chamber would allocate more funds for the government’s program to buy palay (unhusked rice) from local farmers, from its current P7 billion to P10 billion.
“Pero naghahanap pa kami ng additional doon. At the same time, naghihintay, ano ba ang mga accompanying programs sa tariffication at support sa ating farmers,” he said.
READ: Cayetano eyes more budget to develop AFP, PNP camps, rice program
The House leader also said the chamber was looking into allocating more money into the Department of Education (DepEd) and the Department of Health (DOH).
The lower chamber of Congress is aiming to finish its plenary deliberations on the 2020 budget this week. Cayetano said there would be “three or four minimal changes” by Friday.
He assured that the 2020 budget would be pork-free, no parked funds, and would not be delayed.
“Most of the major changes ay sa bicam (bicameral conference committee) na. None of this will be in the category of prok or lump sums na paghahatian ng mga kongresista. There will be no post-budget enactment intervention by any member of Congress,” Cayetano said.
“’Yung ‘No Pork, No Parking, No Delay’, yan ang mantra na rin namin,” he added./ac