Senator Loren Legarda today said that President Rodrigo Duterte has signed the 2017 General Appropriations Act (GAA) worth P3.350 trillion, the first budget of the new administration.
Legarda, Chair of the Senate Committee on Finance, said that she is proud of the work they have done for this budget, which is pro-people as it addresses the most basic needs of the people while improving the country’s economic growth.
Culture and Our National Identity: Pursuing Change That Unites
Acceptance Speech on the Occasion of the Conferment of the Dangal ng Haraya Award (Tagapagtaguyod ng Sining at Kultura) to
Senator Loren Legarda
December 21, 2016, Marble Hall, Bureau of Treasury, Intramuros, Manila
It is with great honor that I accept the Dangal ng Haraya Award.
This award, while issued in my name, appropriately belongs to my mother who nurtured and influenced me to embrace the majesty of culture and the arts.
Senator Loren Legarda today said that the Supplementary Feeding Program (SFP) of the Department of Social Welfare and Development (DSWD) is expected to improve with the additional budget allocated for it in the proposed 2017 national budget.
Legarda, Chair of the Senate Committee on Finance, said that funds within the Department were realigned to add one billion pesos to the SFP.
Senator Loren Legarda today said that another important highlight of the 2017 national budget is the government subsidy on the irrigation service fees (ISF) being paid by farmers to the National Irrigation Administration (NIA).
The P2 billion additional allocation for NIA under the proposed 2017 General Appropriations Act (GAA) is intended to cover the ISF collected by the agency from farmers’ associations.
Senator Loren Legarda today said that all students who will enroll in any state university and college (SUC) in the country, including the University of the Philippines (UP), will no longer pay for tuition fee starting next school year as it will now be funded under the 2017 national budget.
Legarda, Chair of the Senate Committee on Finance, said that this is the purpose of the additional P8 billion allocation under the Commission on Higher Education (CHED).
