Senate approves P2.006-T budget for 2013

(Updated 7:42 p.m.) The Senate on Wednesday approved the proposed P2.006-trillion budget for 2013 in a 14-1 vote.   Only Sen. Joker Arroyo voted against the budget. In a speech delivered before the Senate, he said he was "constrained" to vote against the act despite the "general fairness" in the allocation of funds to the various government agencies.   "However its merits, I find fault in its passage," he said, citing a lack of difference in the versions of the budget drafted by the Senate, House of Representatives, and Malacañang.   "All these three look alike as if they are Xerox copies, Arroyo said. “Aren’t we expected to scrutinize and if need be, make changes thereon?"   Drilon had earlier said that the Senate did not propose any major amendments to the House-approved 2013 General Appropriations Bill – dubbed as the "empowerment budget" by the Aquino administration.   The programmed funds worth P1,250,780,785,000 will be maintained based on the House version and the unprogrammed funds of P117,548,371,000.00 will also unchanged, the senator noted.   New appropriations will amount to 1,368,329,156,000, he said.   "For the 2013 budget, the President has more powers than in the 2012 budget.  Congress has hopelessly lost its power of the purse," Arroyo said in his speech.   The Senate only took five days to pass the budget while it took two weeks to pass the sin tax bill, Arroyo noted.   The biggest share of the budget (34.8 percent) will go to social services, 25.5 percent to economic services, 16.6 percent to debt-service, 17.3 percent to general public services, and 4.5 percent to defense.   The "gargantuan" lump sum appropriations became bigger, Arroyo said. "This is anathema to budget making. Itemization of expenditures, whenever possible and practicable, is the preferred mode," he added.   The Department of Education will still have the highest budget allocation of P292.7 billion, an increase of 22.6 percent from P238.8 billion this year.   Congress is amenable to the wishes of the President because they can see he is doing good for the country, said Drilon.   "The President enjoys very broad support,” Drilon said in an interview on Wednesday.   “Our economy is doing very well. Third quarter GDP growth is 7.1 percent, the highest in the past decade. which means the President deserves all the support from Congress," he added.   The other agencies getting a substantial share of next year’s budget are:

• Department of Public Works and Highways - P152.9 billion

• Department of National Defense - P121.6 billion

• Department of Interior and Local Government - P121.1 billion

• Department of Agriculture - P74.1 billion

• Department of Health - P56.8 billion

• Department of Social Welfare and Development - P56.2 billion

• Department of Transportation and Communications - P37.1 billion

• Department of Finance - P33.2 billion

• Department of Environment and Natural Resources - P23.7 billion

However, Drilon also noted earlier that at least P23.4 billion of the revenue from sin taxes will be allotted to the Health Department budget, so its a budget will, at least, be least P80 billion.   The other highlights of the budget may be viewed here.   The budget will now be reconciled and approved at bicameral conference committee level, before the House and Senate ratify the reconciled version. President Benigno Aquino III will then sign the ratified version into law.   “Since our committee did not propose major amendments to the House version, I see no conflicts with the House of Representatives if we ask to hasten the approval of the bill,” said Drilon. — VS, GMA News