Roque: Palace to propose P5.024-trillion budget for 2022

Malacañang will propose a P5.024-trillion budget for 2022 amid the raging COVID-19 pandemic, presidential spokesperson Harry Roque said Tuesday.

"Our proposed budget is P5.024 trillion. We will submit this National Expenditure program to Congress on Monday, August 23, 2021," Roque said.

Roque said the Department of Education will get the highest amount of budget at P773 billion, followed by the Department of Public Works and Highways at P686 billion, the Department of Interior and Local Government (DILG) at P250 billion, the Health Department at P242 billion and the Defense Department at P222 billion.

Rounding up the top 10 agencies in terms of budget allocation include: Department of Social Welfare and Development at P191.4 billion, Transportation Department with P151 billion, Agriculture Department with P103 billion and the Labor Department with P44 billion.

Roque also defended the higher proposed 2022 budget for the Department of Public Works and Highways (DPWH) compared with the Health Department even amid the COVID-19 pandemic.

"Our priority is addressing the COVID-19 pandemic, and our temporary treatment and monitoring facilities and modular hospitals [for COVID-19 patients] are implemented under the DPWH," Roque said.

"A big part of our budget is still for our COVID-19 response. It is clear that our biggest budget is for social services and we will not leave anyone behind," Roque added.

The P5.024-trillion budget for 2022 is the last budget proposal of the Duterte administration since President Rodrigo Duterte's term ends on June 30. — Llanesca T. Panti/RSJ, GMA News