House to let public ‘directly participate’ in 2021 nat’l budget deliberations

MANILA, Philippines — The House of Representatives will give the public a chance to “directly participate” in deliberations on the proposed P4.5-trillion national budget for 2021, Speaker Alan Peter Cayetano said Monday.

In a statement, Cayetano said the House leadership will meet early this week to discuss the mechanics and protocols to be observed by the public to take part during House budget hearings, adding that this will be the first time that such initiative will be undertaken.

“Since the start of this pandemic, Congress has taken advantage of these new technologies to continue doing our work. Now, as we deliberate on the budget, we can use these same systems to allow our fellow citizens – not just to watch, but to directly participate in the process,” Cayetano said.

“This is going to be the first time that this will be done, so there might be some growing pains. But we want to make sure that it is as inclusive and comprehensive as possible. Dapat po lahat ng gustong magsalita ay mabibigyan ng pagkakataon na marinig ang boses,” he added.

Aside from getting the public involved, Cayetano also pledged to pass the budget in “record time” to address the needs of the public immediately as part of the government’s three-pronged strategy on economic recovery.

The House of Representatives is scheduled to conduct its first set of budget hearings on Friday, September 4, with the Development Budget Coordination Committee (DBCC) to tackle the financing of the budget, growth forecasts, sectoral priorities, policies, and initiatives that will be significant in the deliberation of the budget.

The DBCC is composed of the Department of Budget and Management, National Economic and Development Authority, Department of Finance, and Bangko Sentral ng Pilipinas.

KGA

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