DBM chief disputes budget mismanagement allegations

INQUIRER FILE PHOTO

MANILA, Philippines — Budget Secretary Amenah Pangandaman on Monday disputed allegations that the 2024 General Appropriations Act (GAA) was mishandled, pointing out that any adjustment in budget proposals depends on Congress.

Pangandaman made the pronouncement after Vice President Sara Duterte claimed that the 2024 GAA was mishandled.

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“The executive, together with our dear President and the inter-Cabinet, we submit the National Expenditure Program (NEP). Of course, when it comes to GAA, we have a budget process,” Pangandaman said in Filipino during a chance interview.

“And we always respect the wisdom of our Congress if they have adjustments to make in the budget,” she added.

Pangandaman also pointed out that the allocation for the Department of Education (DepEd) under the 2024 GAA was higher than its proposed budget.

“There was an increase in the DepEd’s budget. From P711 billion under the NEP, it increased to P715 billion when it became GAA,” she said in Filipino.

“Ang masasabi ko lang po, ‘yung P700 billion, it was quite a huge increase po from ‘yung previous level niya noong 2023, kasi it was then kung kailan po ginawa and ni-launch ng Bise Presidente ‘yung kaniyang Matatag program, kaya binigyan po namin ‘yan ng pondo noong 2024,” she added.

(What I can only say is that the P700 billion was quite a huge increase from the previous level in 2023 because the Vice President launched the Matatag program, so we funded that in 2024.)

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Last Aug. 8, Duterte said during an interview that the 2024 GAA was one of the reasons she resigned from her post as education secretary.

She claimed the budget was mishandled and she tried to correct it, but other government agencies did not support it.

Duterte did not elaborate.

She resigned as DepEd chief on July 19.