Legarda vows to tackle under-spending, lump sums in ‘transparent, consultative’ budget deliberation

MANILA, Philippines — The deliberation of the P3.002-trillion proposed 2016 national budget will be “transparent and consultative,” and will tackle outstanding issues like lump sums and under-spending, Senator Loren Legarda has assured.

“We will scrutinize the national budget of 2016 in a manner that is transparent and consultative,” Legarda said during the briefing by the Development Budget Coordinating Committee on the 2016 National Expenditure Program.

Legarda, who chairs the Senate finance committee, also vowed to break down so-called lump sum items, if there are any, “so that there is no suspicion that it will be used for any purpose other than serving the growth of the nation and the needs of every Filipino.”

“I want to leave a legacy budget that is socially inclusive, gender sensitive, climate adaptive, attuned towards reducing disaster risks, and that mainstreams culture and heritage in every department, something that is also sensitive and responsive to the needs of the vulnerable sectors of our population,” she stressed.

She also said the committee will look into the issue of under-spending by some government agencies, noting that this has been going on since 2011.

“We want to know why there has been under-spending. Is it because of the process of procurement under the law, the bureaucracy or red tape? We need to find out the causes of under-spending because we allocate funds, the funds are earmarked for expenditures that should generate income, jobs and economic activity, but if it is not spent then there is a problem and so there is slower growth,” she said.

Source: InterAksyon