House committee endorses CSC budget to plenary

The House Committee on Appropriations on Thursday endorsed the budget of the Civil Service Commission (CSC) for plenary deliberations.

Committee vice chairperson, Representative Raul Angelo Bongalon, moved to terminate the budget briefing.

Bongalon also said he will ask the committee to increase the budget of the CSC from the P2 billion budget recommended by the Department of Budget and Management (DBM). The CSC initially requested a budget of P3 billion.

“A while ago, the good chair mentioned that there is a need to pass a law with regard to the mandatory creation of the HRMO,” Bongalon said.

“So I fully support and commend, and therefore, I will ask Congressman Zaldy as the chairman of the Committee on Appropriations to move for the increase of the budget of the CSC,” he added.

Budget restoration

Meanwhile, in his presentation, CSC chairperson Karlo Nograles asked the House of Representatives to restore the agency’s budget for its recurring expenses.

“Gaya ng sinabi ko before, nag submit kami ng tier one, tier two, pero sa pag labas ng NEP ay may nabawasan po. So unfortunately, kasama sa nabawasan ‘yung recurring expenditures natin,” he said.

(As I said before, we submitted tier one [and] tier two, but it was decreased in NEP. So, unfortunately, our recurring expenditures were among those that were cut.)

“So ‘yun po ‘yung nasa number one, itong ISSP recurring expenditures, these are mostly subscriptions namin to software. Again, unfortunately, we don’t know why this wasn’t included even if these were recurring expenses that CSC has to pay for,” he added.

(So that is number one, our ISSP recurring expenditures, these are mostly subscriptions to software. Again, we don't know why this wasn't included even if these were recurring expenses that the CSC has to pay for.)

He also asked the committee to restore the budget for utilities in their offices in the National Capital Region, Region 1, Region 2, Region 5, Region 7, Caraga, the Bangsamoro Region, and the Cordillera Region.

“So the small regions diyan na kailangan talaga ng suporta would be CAR, Barmm, Region 13, and Region 2. Sila po ‘yung what we classify as small regional offices. So obviously, the smaller, the more support they need,” Nograles said.

Nograles also requested the restoration of the budget for building construction in Region 2, Region 3, Region 7, Region 8, Region 10, Region 11, Region 12, Region 13, and BARMM.

“I’d like to appeal for BARMM particularly because this building in BARMM is specifically the one in Lanao Sur. Congress previously gave a budget for the Lanao Sur building in BARMM but for some resaon or the other, hindi po siya nagamit so na-revert (it was not reverted),” he said.

For her part, OFW party-list Representative Marissa Magsino expressed her support for the CSC.

“I would just like to say regarding the BARMM that whatever we can do to help with my colleagues regarding the building for the BARMM because they need it very badly,” Magsino said. — RSJ, GMA Integrated News