DBM: Agencies' budgets can be augmented, modified amid Omicron threat

While the government had not factored in the threat of the COVID-19 Omicron variant in the P5.024-trillion national budget for 2022, the Department of Budget and Management (DBM) said that allocations of agencies could be augmented or modified depending on the situation.

At a Palace briefing on Friday, DBM officer-in-charge Tina Canda said the budget was drafted when the Omicron variant had not yet been detected.

“Hindi pa natin alam kung gaano karaming resources ang ide-demand sa ating nitong Omicron variant na ito,” Canda said.

(We have no idea yet how much resources this Omicron variant will demand.)

“Otherwise, kung mas malaki ang kailangan then maga-adjust tayo through augmentations or modifications of all the departments and agencies,” she added.

(Otherwise, if our response to the new variant requires bigger resources, we will adjust through augmentations or modifications of [the budgets of] all the departments and agencies.)

Speaking at the ceremonial signing of the 2022 national budget on Thursday, President Rodrigo Duterte said that the rising cases of the Omicron variant are bothering him, saying it could further strain government resources. 

"It might translate into for government to pour again the resources [due to] the resurgence of COVID-19 with another form. I’m leaving the office in a few months. Natatakot lang ako ‘yung [I am worried for our] response na naman natin and how it would intrude into the budget," Duterte said.

Canda said that next year's budget has an allocation of around P107 billion for COVID-19 response.

“But out of that amount P87 billion is under the unprogrammed appropriations,” she said.

“Mare-release lang ‘yon kapag nagkaroon ng additional revenues na makakalap ang gobyerno. Nagkakaroon naman niyan on a year-to-year basis kaya lang ang ibig sabhin lang non hindi agad agad mapupunan ang pangagailangan,” she added.

(This means it can only be released if there will be additional revenues collected by the government. It usually comes on a year-to-year basis, but it won’t immediately cover our needs.)

Canda said an initial P20.6 billion is programmed for the COVID-19 response, which could be released at “any given point during the first quarter.”

“Of this amount, P7.9 billion [is] for the procurement ng RT-PCR cartridges. Then, we have P900 million for the construction of a virology lab,” she said.
“There is also P2.8 billion for the purchase of vaccines and P9 billion for the allowances of our frontline healthcare workers." 

On the P87 billion under unprogrammed appropriations, the acting DBM chief said P45 billion will be for the procurement of vaccines and P42 billion for the special risk allowance of healthcare workers.

“Siguro second quarter onwards, tamang tama naman makakakalap na tayo ng mga revenues niyan, magiging available naman 'yan for procurement of vaccines and payment of our healthcare workers,” Canda said.

(I think by the second quarter onwards, we will have collected enough revenues to make funds available for the procurement of vaccines and the payment of our healthcare workers.) — VBL, GMA News