Angara sees around P5-T 2021 nat’l budget amid global pandemic

The proposed national budget for 2021 may reach P5 trillion as the country braces for the impact of the COVID-19 global pandemic, Senator Sonny Angara said on Wednesday.

"Palagay ko it will be a stimulus budget maybe close to P5 trillion assuming we go by the usual increase," Angara, chair of the Senate committee on finance, said in a virtual interview.

He said a third of that budget would be allocated for the country's debt payments while the rest, about P3.3 trillion, may be used for new items that could be part of the country's stimulus package.

"Of course the personnel services is the large chunk of that pero 'yung non-personnel items, palagay ko ang karamihan diyan—even the infrastructure— will be tied towards providing stimulus," Angara said.

The senator also projects that more considerations may be given to the public health sector.

"I think you will be seeing less of items like vehicle purchases for instance, less of items like agency travel unless that agency travel is necessary to give out assistance. 'Yung usual seminars palagay ko mawawala na 'yan kasi you can do everything online naman," he said.

"We'll be seeing much more emphasis on the public health sector. Probably ire-review ang budget ng PhilHealth, 'yung government assistance for premiums. We'll also be looking at improving government [health] facilities nationwide," he added.

The 2021 General Appropriations Act may also include a clause which will authorize the President to realign budget as needed, similar to the provision in the Bayanihan to Heal as One Act.

"Dapat may safeguards... It's only for the duration of the emergency. Kung wala nang COVID, siguro hindi na kailangan 'yung power na 'yun," Angara said.

The budget meetings and hearings of the Senate committee on finance will also likely be online.

"We'll try to observe as much as possible no changes pero I think it's impossible eh. We might need to also have our committee hearings by Zoom with the agencies kasi given the situation now mahirap mag-large hearings," the senator said. — RSJ, GMA News