Filtered By: Topstories
News

Senators confounded by NTF-ELCAC’s P28-B budget amid the COVID-19 pandemic


Senators on Tuesday were confounded by the proposed P28.1 billion budget for the National Task Force to End Local Communist Armed Conflict (NTF-ELCAC) even as the country was struggling against the coronavirus disease 2019 (COVID-19) pandemic.

In a statement, Senator Nancy Binay pointed out that the budget of the Research Institute for Tropical Medicine (RITM) was slashed by 170 million.

"What's happening? Ang kalaban natin ay Covid. Mas importante ba ang ELCAC kaysa RITM? It does not make sense. Government seems to be removed from the realities on the ground," Binay said.

(The enemy is COVID. Is the ELCAC more important than the RITM?)

The proposed budget of the RITM was slashed to P223 million in 2022  from 2021's P393 million, while the budget for the NTF-ELCAC rose to P28.1 billion.

This, even as the country recorded more than 15,000 daily COVID-19 cases for the past 4 days and reported a new all-time high of 18,332 cases on Monday.

Binay said the RITM should be given a higher priority and that its budget should be expanded and increased.

"As RITM is already struggling in building their manpower and lab resources, babawasan pa ang budget nila,” she said.

“Yung masaklap is that NTF-ELCAC's budget is inflated to billions while depriving RITM--a legitimate government institution--of funds necessary to provide critical laboratory services in time of a pandemic. It doesn't make any sense at all," she emphasized.

Binay said she would ask fellow senators to increase the budget of government health research initiatives, disease surveillance, genomic testings, and national public hospitals.

"Given the limited fiscal sources, it is morally unacceptable and wrong to prioritize P28 billion on a misplaced agenda over a crucial public health agenda that has a direct impact on the health of 100 million Filipinos,” she said.

“RITM needs the necessary funding support--lalo pa ngayong we're racing against time and finding ways in tapping resources judiciously in fighting both known and unknown diseases. Hindi pula ang kulay ng kalaban. Ang laban ngayon ay kung paano mabuhay," she added.

Meanwhile, Senate Minority Leader Franklin Drilon proposed to cut the funding for the security sector and channel these to the social amelioration program.

“We can remove this item or channel the funds to ayuda… Given our limited resources, we must prioritize ayuda over NTF-ELCAC. We must cut funding for the security sector in favor of the social services sector,” he said.

Malacañang had earlier justified the NTF-ELCAC's budget, arguing that the insurgency needed to be addressed even during the current crisis.

"Even amid the pandemic, hunger remains which is a reason to take up arms against the government. We need to create more jobs for the poor people because otherwise, they will become rebels," Presidential Spokesperson Harry Roque explained.

"This budget is in accordance with our target to have more development, livelihood projects to stir economic growth," he added. — DVM, GMA News

LOADING CONTENT