2020 budget militarist, pork-laden, cuts back social services —Makabayan Bloc

The Makabayan Bloc on Monday insisted that the P4.1-trillion national budget for 2020 that President Rodrigo Duterte just signed into law was "militarist, pork-laden, and full of cutbacks on basic social services."

In a statement, the progressive group of lawmakers said they had been pointing out these characteristics from the time the 2020 National Expenditure Program was filed to Congress up to the approval of the 2020 General Appropriations Bill in the House of Representatives.

Their observations, they said, were further aggravated by the amendments by the Senate and the Bicameral Conference Committee.

"It can be seen that [the budget] was further fattened for programs under defense and security agencies, such as the tokhang and National Task Force to End Local Communist Armed Conflict programs," they said.

"Even programs for social and economic services were placed under the administration of defense and security agencies, as seen in NTF-geared amendments in the DPWH, TESDA, among others," they added.

These amendments, the group said, were not shown in the plenary when the bicameral report on the budget was ratified, nor to the public.

"We can only know the full details of the 'dagdag-bawas' once we have the printed copy of the General Appropriations Act (GAA) 2020 and its programs implemented," they said.

"An example of this is that not lower that P6.05 billion was added to defense and security agencies, Presidential Communications Operations Office, and the Presidential Management Staff, yet no details are provided in the bicam report," they added.

House Majority Leader Martin Romualdez, however, maintained that the recently-signed 2020 budget has "no pork, no parking" and is not delayed.

He added that the budget prioritizes social services, peace and security, and infrastructure in support of the Duterte administration's "Build, Build, Build" program.

"This is a pro-poor GAA that will carry the President’s continued commitment of social payback to make the life of Filipinos comfortable," Romualdez said.

"The huge allocation for social services carries the President’s programs to create more jobs, generate investments, better access to health care, free education, and other basic social services," he added. — BM, GMA News