QUEZON CITY, Aug. 26 – Philippine Budget Secretary Benjamin Diokno presented the 2017 budget to the House of Representatives on Monday, August 22. As what President Rodrigo Duterte proudly versed out during his State of the Nation Address, the amount focuses on funding the areas of education, agriculture, social services and infrastructure.
Garnering summation of Php 3.35 trillion, it increased 11.6 percent over present year’s budget of Php 3.002 trillion.
With Duterte’s fondness of the word ‘change’, to achieve one really needs a ridiculous cost. It is observable that only here in Metro Manila, many infrastructures need to be fixed and modernized; what more when it comes to rural areas — where there are lands waiting for a touch of government care and effort.
Following his ten point agenda, Duterte described his budget platform to be ‘pro-poor’. Because, according to him, “our people, through their taxes, provide the lifeblood of the government. They are the reasons for government’s very existence. Our people expect no less from us.” The budget is also pork-barrel-free, which goes a long way in lessening everybody’s doubts. These departments are the top receivers of our taxes, and reflect what our government’s priorities:
That’s it. The 2017 budget is the biggest in our country’s history. It is also the reflection of our current President’s goals, and we wish that this reflection would become concrete and be used by us for our benefit.
Two months of his rule already gave us relief, how much more if its six years?
Written by: Rex Felix Salvador I, edited by Jay Paul Carlos, additional research by Vince Alvin Villarin