House passes P1.8 trillion national budget

MANILA, Philippines—The House of Representatives has approved on second reading the P1.816-trillion national budget for 2012.

Social services will get the biggest share of the General Appropriations Act for 2012 with P575.8 billion or 31.7 percent, the lower chamber said in a statement.

The Department of Education gets the lion’s share of P238.8 billion, or 15.2 percent higher than the current budget of P207.3 billion.

The Department of Public Works and Highways ranks second with P125.5-billion, followed by the Department of National Defense with P107.9 billion, the Department of Interior and Local Government with P101.4 billion and the Department of Agriculture with P54.1 billion.

“We crafted this budget aware of both the potential and limits of our present national economy. This is a collective fulfillment of our commitment to the Filipino people,” Speaker Feliciano Belmonte said minutes before adjournment late Friday night.

The passage of the General Appropriations Act for 2012 before midnight Friday came after weeks of extended committee work and nine days of marathon plenary sessions.

Belmonte said the 2012 budget was done “by legislators with eyes wide open to both the potential and threats that our economy might face in the coming year.”

“It is a budget assembled with great pragmatism, and with as much foresight as is humanly possible,” Belmonte said, citing government’s drive to stamp out corruption and promote accountability and transparency in governance.

“To fortify the fight against corruption, we have taken pains to ensure that public funds will no longer be diverted for unauthorized uses. As a first step, we approved the break-down of lump-sum funds totaling more than P150 billion and their allocation to regional and sub-regional offices. This will ensure accountability in their use,” Belmonte said.

By sector, Economic Services is at second with P438.9 billion (24.2 percent of the budget) which shows the largest growth of 21.3 percent. Debt service comes at third with P356.1 billion (the debt burden is three (3) percentage points lower than 2011); General Public Service P332,1 billion and Defense at P113.1 billion.