‘Highest-ever’ P5 trillion budget for 2022 eyed submitted to Congress on Monday

MANILA, Philippines — The proposed national budget for 2022, representing President Rodrigo Duterte’s last spending plan under his term, worth P5.024 trillion will be the highest ever in the country’s history, and is eyed to be submitted to Congress on Monday, Aug. 23, Malacañang said.

“Ang proposed budget para sa susunod na taon ay nasa P5.024 trillion, ang pinakamataas na budget sa ating kasaysayan,” presidential spokesperson Harry Roque said Tuesday in a press briefing.

(The proposed budget for next year is at P5.024 trillion, the highest budget in our history.)

“Sa ngayon ay finafinalize na po at piniprint ang fiscal year 2022 National Expenditure Program o NEP at target na maisumite ito sa Kongreso sa Lunes, August 23, 2021,” he added.

(Right now, the National Expenditure Program or NEP for fiscal year 2022 is being finalized and printed and is eyed to be submitted to Congress on Monday, August 23, 2021.)

This is equivalent to 22.8 percent of the country’s gross domestic product and 11.5 percent higher than last year’s P4.5 trillion budget.

Roque said the social services sector which covers health and education will get the biggest share of the funds with P1.922 trillion or 38.2 percent of the proposed budget.

The economic services sector, which covers the Duterte administration’s infrastructure program “Build Build, Build” will have P1.474 trillion, added Roque.

Meanwhile, Roque said the general public services sector will get P862.7 billion, the defense sector will get P224.4 billion, and the debt burden will get P541.3 billion.

Under the NEP, Roque said the following agencies received the highest allocation:

• Education sector (Department of Education, State Universities and Colleges, Commission on Higher Education) – P773.6 billion
• Department of Public Works and Highways – P686.1 billion
• Department of the Interior and Local Government – P250.4 billion
• Department of Health – P242 billion
• Department of National Defense – P222 billion
• Department of Social Welfare and Development – P191.4 billion
• Department of Transportation – P151.3 billion
• Department of Agriculture and National Irrigation Administration – P103.5 billion
• Department of Labor and Employment – P44.9 billion

Earlier, former Budget Secretary Wendel Avisado, prior to his resignation from his post, said the proposed P5-trillion national budget for 2022 aims to sustain the government’s efforts against the COVID-19 pandemic.

The budget, he claimed, will include the procurement of COVID-19 testing kits, hiring of medical frontliners, establishment of the Virology Institute of the Philippines, and the continuous implementation of health programs under the Universal Health Care law.

EDV