Angara sees shift in budget priorities for 2021 due to COVID-19 pandemic

Sen. Sonny Angara (INQUIRER.net file photo)

MANILA, Philippines — The executive department would likely shift its priorities in terms of budget allocation for the country’s spending next year given the crisis inflicted by the coronavirus disease (COVID-19) pandemic, Senator Sonny Angara said Tuesday.

Angara, chair of the Senate finance committee, underscored the need to beef up the capacity of hospitals and improve the country’s internet infrastructure with employees resorting to work-from-home arrangements due to restrictions triggered by the current health crisis.

The senator said he expects that the increase in the budget of the Department of Health (DOH) would be a “little bit more” than the usual.

“Usually there’s an increase from the previous year’s budget, a slight increase, but this year, we’re expecting a little bit more because of COVID-19 and the necessity to purchase more [personal protective equipment], to upgrade equipment, to upgrade the number of hospital beds,” he said in an interview on ABS-CBN News Channel.

Hospital’s across the country should also be capacitated to respond to infectious diseases like COVID-19, Angara noted.

“A lot of provincial hospitals, regional hospitals don’t have that infectious disease capacity. The capacity to treat and to diagnose, to test. I think we should have that kind of system nationwide,” he said.

“For a few weeks, it was only RITM [Research Institute for Tropical Medicine] that is doing the testing,” he added.

Internet infra

According to Angara, the government should also boost the country’s internet infrastructure as the pandemic ushers in a “new normal.”

“I think work-from-home is an obvious [new normal]. That’s already happening so that’s gonna put a strain on our broadband our bandwidth so we have to make sure the infrastructure is there and maybe to switch some of our spending because we had this free Wifi program but it is being done in tranches now,” he said.

Even the Senate has allowed teleconferencing during plenary sessions and committee amid the COVID-19 outbreak.

“(The) crucial infrastructure now I think is broadband internet because that’s going to be the wave of the future. It’s going to be how we buy our food, it’s going to be how we order our clothes, it already is actually. It’s going to be how we pay our bills and for many people it’s going to be how they earn a living going forward. It’s going to be how our kids study also. So talagang importante ‘yon,” he added.

President’s budget

While Angara said that it is still “early budget cycle,” he believes there would be shift in priority in the country’s spending for 2021.

The budget process begins when the Department of Budget and Management (DBM) submits the National Expenditure Program, which is prepared by the executive department, to Congress.

“Congress does not come up with a number out of the hat. It’s really the executive who presents the budget to Congress and Congress kind of tinkers with that budget,” he said.

“I don’t think the DBM has finished preparing the President’s budget. We’ll probably get updates on that in the coming month and i think it’s going to be very different from the past year’s budget, priorities have really shifted, you have less probably on travel…and more on beefing up capacities of agencies,” he added.

Metro Manila and other “high risk” areas remain under an enhanced community quarantine until May 15 while a general community quarantine has been imposed on moderate to low risk provinces since May 1.

As of Monday afternoon, Philippine health officials have confirmed 9,485 COVID-19 cases in the country.

Of the number, 1,315 have recovered while 623 have died.

JPV