Lacson, Sotto urge gov’t to use unspent P328.5B nat’l budget for social services

Senate President and vice presidential bet Vicente Sotto III greets the crowd as he arrives at the F. L. Dy Coliseum in Cauayan City on Monday, March 14, 2022, for a sectoral meeting. (Photo by Villamor Visaya Jr.)

CITY OF CAUAYAN, Isabela — The government should spend on social services, especially now that the unused yearly appropriated budget has reached P328.5-billion from 2010-2020, Senator and presidential bet Panfilo “Ping” Lacson and his running mate, Senate President Vicente “Tito” Sotto III, said Monday.

The tandem of Lacson and Sotto visited this city and held a sectoral meeting at the F. L. Dy Coliseum.

“The failure of the government to spend the money deprives the people of livelihood opportunities, infrastructure, local projects, and social services,” Lacson told a crowd of 2,000 women, youth, and senior citizens.

He added: “We would focus on social services for the poor, not only on 4Ps but more on improving their lives. Unless this is addressed with concrete plans, we are in a vicious cycle, “he added. The government’s 4Ps or Pantawid Pamilyang Pilipino Program is a conditional cash subsidy program for indigent families.

Sotto said the annual budget has been the lifeline of the economy, so legislators have been scrutinizing it.

“If we neglect the lifeline, we would be dead, so the answer is to have tough leaders who have knowledge, skills, experience, and capabilities,” Sotto said.

For Lacson, “doable and concrete solutions” would solve the problems.

He further said that corruption has also been a problem with P700 billion being wasted on corruption.

Due to this situation, he hoped to stabilize agricultural prices by buying 50 percent of the produce instead of the common 2 percent.

“They can say that the teachers’ salaries will be increased to P100,000? Is it doable? No, but we have to standardize their salaries to be at par with soldiers and police, ” Lacson noted. INQ

RELATED STORIES

Lacson: Government’s yearly unused budget is P328.5 billion on average since 2010

Lacson vows corruption crackdown in first 100 days

Lacson scores thieves in government over lack of jobs, investors