Agriculture sector should be exempt from DBM’s ‘belt-tightening’ circular – Dar

MANILA, Philippines — The agriculture sector should be excluded from the circular released by the  Department of Budget and Management (DBM) ordering agencies to tighten their belts as the country continues to fight the coronavirus pandemic.

During an online meeting of the House of Representatives’ Defeat COVID-19 Committee (DCC), Agriculture Secretary William Dar said that there could be issues in food security if they would set aside some of their funds during the pandemic.

Under the National Budget Circular (NBC) No. 580 issued on April 22, all departments, agencies, government-owned and -controlled corporations (GOCCs), as well as state universities and colleges (SUCs), are ordered to free up some “appropriations not expressly earmarked for the implementation of programs, activities and projects addressing the COVID-19 pandemic.”

Government agencies were advised that “35 percent of programmed appropriations under the 2020 General Appropriations Act shall no longer be made available for release effective April 1, 2020.”

“I had the chance to discuss briefly with [Budget] Secretary Wendel Avisado and [Finance] Secretary Carlos Dominguez in regard to NBC 580…[and] the idea is that in post-production, agriculture should be exempt from NBC 580. This is one prayer,” Dar said, speaking partly in Filipino, during the online meeting.

Dar likewise requested the help of the lower chamber through a resolution to exempt the agriculture sector from the circular.

“I would request the House that, if possible, a resolution can be effected so that we could be freed up from setting aside [funds]. [It’s a] maximum of 35 percent. So we would not have food security if we set aside 35 percent,” Dar said.

In an interview with INQUIRER.net, Dar underscored the importance of food security, especially during the pandemic.

“We would like to believe that we can still up the game and elevate food sufficiency levels in many commodities,” Dar said.

The agriculture secretary said he has sent a part of his proposal to Avisado which includes “refocusing” of some of their projects so they can direct their resources to increasing food production.

Dar also bared that Dominguez had also expressed support for his proposal.

In the House, Deputy Speaker Luis Raymond Villafuerte also backed Dominguez’s proposed exclusion of the agriculture sector.

“That circular exempts health and [Department of Social Welfare and Development]. So it should also exempt agriculture and possibly public works and infrastructure because in all studies, whether there’s a depression, recession after war, government spending is the stimulus to drive economic growth,” Villafuerte said during the meeting.

“We support your stand Mr. Secretary that you should be exempted from the national budget circular,” the lawmaker added.

/atm