From proposed P13B to P76M? SPDA pleads for bigger budget next year

SPDA Administrator Gerry Salapuddin during the live stream meeting of the Senate finance subcommittee. Screenshot of the Senate PRIB video streaming

MANILA, Philippines —  The Southern Philippines Development Authority (SPDA) on Tuesday pleaded for a higher budget next year after its proposed P13-billion allocation was reduced to only P76 million.

SPDA Administrator Abdulghani “Gerry” Ajul Salapuddin  lamented that his office proposed a total budgetary requirements of P13.488 billion for 2021 but the Department of Budget and Management only approved P76 million.

“And  come to think  of it, since SPDA is covering the entire Mindanao and with a very broad mandate, such fund is only normally utilized for the salary, wages and the maintenance and operating expenditures of  our office,” Salapuddin justified during the hearing of the Senate finance subcommittee.

“I’d like to appeal to the support and understanding of the members of the Senate to please give us appropriate bigger budget for this year as we’re approaching the last one year and eight months of the term of President [Rodrigo] Duterte so that SPDA can do something consistent with its mandate,” he added.

SPDA is a government-owned-and-controlled corporation under the Office of the President.

The Senate has started deliberations at the committee level on the proposed P4.5-trillion national budget for 2021 while awaiting the  approval of the House of Representatives.

JPV