30% cut in non-essential gov’t expenses pushed to fund anti – COVID measures

Health workers wait at a COVID-19 testing center at the Palacio de Manila during an enhanced community quarantine to prevent the spread of the new coronavirus on Monday, May 11, 2020 in Manila, Philippines. Several sports and events venues have been converted as quarantine facilities or testing centers as the country tries to cope with the ongoing pandemic. (AP Photo/Aaron Favila)

MANILA, Philippines — A lawmaker is proposing “deeper cuts” in this year’s P4.1 trillion national budget to raise funds for the country’s response measures to combat the coronavirus disease 2019 (COVID-19) pandemic—including the national government’s social amelioration program (SAP).

Anakalusugan party-list Rep. Mike Defensor, who chairs the House of Representatives Committee on Public Accounts, said that the government can generate P480 billion if such reductions will be implemented.

“I am proposing a reduction of at least 30 percent in non-essential expenses of the government. Some of these expenditures we can altogether forego and use the money to fight the COVID-19 pandemic and help the poor and other affected sectors,” Defensor said in a statement.

Defensor pointed out that non-essential expenditures are part of the “maintenance and other operating expenses” for which P1.6 trillion is allocated in the 2020 budget.

From this, Defensor said among the non-essential MOOE items where “substantial reductions could be taken” include travel (P19.4 billion); training and scholarship (P32.9 billion); supplies and materials (P108.3 billion); and representation or dining out and entertainment by officials and their guests (5.2 billion).

Further, Defensor said that other items that could be “reduced considerably” include communication (P10.7 billion); hiring of consultants (P29 billion); advertising (P3 billion); subscription (P4.1 billion); donations (P41.8 billion); printing and publication (P1.9 billion); and membership dues and contributions to organizations (P2.4 billion).

“Why should the government spend almost P42 billion for donations when frontline health workers are still begging for personal protective equipment (PPE) items from private donors until now, five months after the coronavirus outbreak hit the country?” Defensor said.

Meanwhile, expenses that the government could forego, Defensor said, include the purchase of new vehicles (P4.1 billion); construction of more buildings (P99 billion); procurement of new furniture and fixtures (P603 million); and the acquisition of additional machinery and equipment (P67.9 billion).

“We can make do with what we presently have while battling COVID-19. We should instead use the money to buy badly needed PPEs for our frontline health workers and as subsidy to the poor,” he stressed.

Defensor earlier called for a 20-percent cut in non-essential expenses.

The Department of Budget and Management (DBM), however, decided to cut such items only by 10 percent.

The DBM also slashed “programmed appropriations” by 35 percent.

GSG