House panel approves P4.1-trillion national budget bill for 2020

THE House Committee on Appropriations approved on Monday the committee report on the P4.1-trillion General Appropriations Bill.

House Bill 4228, which seeks to appropriate funds for the operation of the government of the Republic of the Philippines from January 1 to December 31, 2020, will now be transmitted to the plenary for deliberations.

House Committee on Appropriations Chairman Isidro Ungab said GAB is a “faithful” copy of the National Expenditure Program submitted by the Palace.  According to Ungab, no changes or amendments have been made in the NEP.

Ungab said the panel completed in “record time” the hearings on the 2020 budget proposals of all government departments, agencies and offices.

For his part, House Committee on Appropriations Senior Vice Chairman Joey Salceda said the budget bill reflects the national goals—particularly for providing a safe and comfortable life for all, becoming an upper middle-income country by 2022, and securing an “A” credit rating by 2022.

“We want to approve a budget that really serves our people, serves our constituencies, and of course, reflects the values of our country,” Salceda added.

Ungab said the sponsorship and start of floor deliberations on HB 4228 are scheduled on Tuesday.

He added that the House is sticking to its original target date to pass the proposed national budget, which is before the October 4 recess.

The 2020 budget of P4.1 trillion, which is cash-based, is 11.8 percent more than the 2019 budget and will constitute 19.4 percent of the country’s gross domestic product.

Social services will receive the largest chunk of the budget with P1.5 trillion or a 37.2-percent share, followed by economic services, which will receive P1.18 trillion or a 28.9-percent share. Meanwhile, the general public services will receive P734.5 billion; debt burden P451 billion; and defense P195.6 billion.

Fiscal deficit

In the 2020 national budget, the government maintains a manageable deficit of 3.2 percent of GDP to enable a declining debt burden.

For next year, the government will sustain the momentum of rising revenue collection by pursuing the Comprehensive Tax Reform Program (CTRP).

The government revenue collections are expected to reach P3.536 trillion in 2020, a figure that is 12.3 percent higher than this year’s targeted level of P3.1 trillion. This will fund 83.9 percent of programmed disbursements for 2020.

Meanwhile, the total gross borrowings for 2020 amount to P1.4 trillion.  With a borrowing mix policy of 75:25 in favor of domestic sources, P1.047 trillion will be sourced locally and the rest, P353.2 billion, will come from abroad.

Of the total gross borrowings, P677.6 billion will finance the deficit, which is equivalent to 3.2 percent of GDP.

Meanwhile, the top 10 agencies to get the biggest allocations next year are: Department of Education, P673 billion; Department of Public Works and Highways, P534 billion; Department of the Interior and Local Government, P238 billion; Department of Social Welfare and Development, P195 billion; Department of National Defense, P189 billion; Department of Health, P166.5 billion; Department of Transportation, P147 billion; Department of Agriculture, P56.8 billion, the Judiciary, P38.7 billion and Department of Environment and Natural Resources, P26.4 billion.

Priority measures

The 2020 NEP will also finance the implementation of priority measures of the administration.

Among the critical programs are measures to implement new laws and policies that provide economic and social assistance to all Filipinos, and enhance the security of the nation, such as the: full implementation of the Universal Health Care Act, institutionalization of the Pantawid Pamilyang Pilipino Program, smooth transition to the Bangsamoro Autonomous Region in Muslim Mindanao, implementation of the Rice Trade Liberalization Act, creation of the Department for Human Settlements and Urban Development, and National Task Force to End Local Communist Armed Conflict.

The government said the UHC program is allocated P166.5 billion; and the Pantawid Pamilyang Pilipino Program (4Ps) Act, P108.8 billion. Pursuant to the Bangsamoro Organic Law, P70.6 billion is allocated for the Bangsamoro Autonomous Region in Muslim Mindanao (BARMM).

Republic Act 11203, or the Rice Trade Liberalization Act, mandates the creation of the P10-billion Rice Competitiveness Enhancement Fund (RCEF).  Following the enactment of RA  11201, or the Department of Human Settlements and Urban Development (DHSUD) Act, the 2020 budget allocates an amount of P641.6 million to support the initial operations of the department.

https://businessmirror.com.ph/2019/09/10/house-panel-approves-p4-1-trillion-national-budget-bill-for-2020/