Senator Loren Legarda, Chair of the Senate Committee on Finance, has introduced special provisions in the 2016 national budget that encourage the establishment of councils for the promotion of culture and the arts nationwide.
Legarda, who is also the chair of the Senate Committee on Cultural Communities, said “We must continue to enrich our cultural activities and celebrations in different regions to remind us of the history and traditions of our towns and provinces.” She said providing support to cultural organizations and local artists in the form of grants-in-aid, technical assistance, networking opportunities and capacity-building initiatives through these Councils, are vital in marketing the country as a destination for cultural tourism.
Senator Loren Legarda has urged the Metropolitan Manila Development Authority (MMDA) and local government units (LGUs) to implement roadsharing in the Philippines, particularly in Metro Manila, in a bid to improve the quality of life of citizens as well as lessen air pollution.
We were able to pass into law the Climate Change Act, which created the Climate Change Commission and mainstreams climate change adaptation in various phases of policy formulation, and the National Disaster Risk Reduction and Management Act, which strengthens the capacity of the national government and local government units to build the disaster resilience of communities. The United Nations Office for Disaster Risk Reduction (UNISDR) hailed these two measures as among the world’s best laws on disaster resilience.
Senator Loren Legarda, Chair of the Senate Committee on Finance, today said that all information about the 2016 national budget were available to both houses of Congress before it was enacted into law.
“All senators were given a copy of the bicameral conference committee report before they voted to ratify. The first page of the report shows both the increases and the decreases in the budget of all agencies including the Department of Health (DOH),” she explained.
“The cut of one billion pesos for the Department of Health’s (DOH) family health and responsible parenting (FHRP) was a source for the increases in other agencies, including for the Department of National Defense’s (DND) air assets upgrading, which is timely and equally important given the West Philippine Sea issue. Part of it was also used for the increase in the state universities and colleges (SUCs) budget.
