Is health care not a priority? Robredo questions cut in DOH, RITM budgets

Health workers attend to patients at the chapel of Quezon City General Hospital and Medical Center (QCGHMC) on Thursday, August 19, as it converted the chapel into an intensive care unit (ICU) ward as a response to the increasing number of severe COVID-19 cases. – INQUIRER/GRIG C. MONTEGRANDE

MANILA, Philippines — Vice President Leni Robredo questioned on Sunday the cut in the proposed budget of the Department of Health (DOH) and the Research Institute for Tropical Medicine (RITM) — agencies involved in health care — amid the persisting threat of COVID-19.

“Magugulat ka kasi at a time like this na nasa gitna tayo ng pandemya, bakit ‘yung mga babawasan ‘yung mga importanteng mga activities o mga programs, gaya ng Department of Health, ng RITM,” Robredo lamented during the BISErbisyong LENI program on dzXL.

(You’ll be shocked because at a time like this when we’re in the middle of a pandemic, why would important activities or programs like the Department of Health and RITM have budget cuts.)

The DOH’s 2022 budget does not include the special risk allowance for health workers. DOH Secretary Francisco Duque III said he was told the SRA was incorporated it in the proposed P401-billion Bayanihan 3.

But Robredo agreed with the observation of some legislators that the Bayanihan 3 has not yet been passed into law and its funding is not certain.

“Magkakaroon lang siya ng pera ‘pag mayroong sobra dun sa revenue minus expenses natin. Kung walang sobra, wala ding pondo. Gusto sabihin, ‘di siya priority ng pamahalaan,” Robredo explained.

(It will only have a budget if there is a surplus in the revenue minus the expenses. If there is no surplus, there is no fund. It means, it is not a priority of the government.)

According to Duque on Thursday, the health agency initially proposed P73.99 billion in COVID-19 funds. However, the Department of Budget and Management (DBM) denied it, slashing the allocation for pandemic response to P19.68 billion.

The RITM, on the other hand, suffered a P170 million trim in their proposed budget for 2022. From P393 million, it will be lowered to P223 million.

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“Bakit nila ‘to gagawin? Na ito ‘yung pinaka-kailangan na function natin ngayon tapos ito ‘yung tatanggalan. ‘Di ko maintindihan,” Robredo expressed.

(Why would they do this? This is the most needed function now and you would cut its budget. I don’t understand.)

Robredo shared her solution to address the slashing of funds as the DBM based the budgets into the departments’ absorptive capacity.

“Ang solusyon diyan, hindi bawasan ‘yung budget pero maghanap ng ibang pwedeng makatulong mag-implement,” Robredo raised, adding that the DOH could seek help with the Inter-Agency Task Force on Emerging Infectious Diseases as it is the convergence of all departments.

(The solution is not to reduce the budget but to look for others that could help in the implementation.)

EDV