Budget Secretary Benjamin Diokno (left) gestures to stress a point in his response to a question during a press conference on the proposed 2017 National Budget of PHP3.35-trillion which he submitted to the House of Representatives in Quezon City on Monday (Aug. 15, 2016). Also in photo is House Speaker Pantaleon Alvarez. (MNS photo)
MANILA (Mabuhay) — The Department of Budget and Management (DBM) on Monday submitted to the House of Representatives its proposed national budget of P3.35 trillion for 2017.
The proposed budget – the first under the Duterte administration – is higher by 11.6 percent than the 2016 budget of P3.002 trillion.
The Department of Education (DepEd) will receive the biggest slice of the budget pie among the government departments, with P570.4 billion, a 31-percent hike compared to the operating budget.
To support the Duterte administration’s drive against crime, illegal drugs, and terrorism, the budgets for both the Philippine National Police (PNP) and the Armed Forces of the Philippines (AFP) were increased substantially.
The PNP will get P110.4 billion, higher by 24.6 percent than in 2016, to hire more policemen, purchase more guns and patrol vehicles, and finance other activities in relation to crime suppression.
The AFP will receive P130.6 billion, which is 15 percent higher, to intensify counter-terrorism efforts and protect the Philippines’ borders.
Meanwhile, the budget allocation for the conditional cash transfer (CCT) program was hiked to P78.7 billion after the Duterte administration added P23.4 billion as rice allowance for millions os beneficiary families.
The rice allowance for CCT beneficiaries was a campaign promise of President Rodrigo Duterte. (MNS)