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Sotto: Funds scrapped from DOH budget go to SUCs

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Kathlyn dela Cruz, ABS-CBN News

<figure class="op-social"><iframe allowfullscreen="" frameBorder="0" height="315" src="https://www.youtube.com/embed/RgrpG7fYfYQ" width="510"></iframe></figure>MANILA - Senator Vicente &quot;Tito&quot; Sotto III on Thursday said the P1 billion cut from the budget of the Department of Health (DOH) was not wholly intended for the implementation of the Reproductive Health (RH) Law.&quot;Hindi ko alam kung saan yun kinuha, paano naging P1 billion, pero hindi lahat sa RH yun. Mali ang kwentong yun,&quot; Sotto said in an interview on radio dzMM.Health Secretary Janette Garin earlier said that P1 billion intended for contraceptives for the poor was scrapped from the department&#x27;s 2016 budget, when the budget passed through Congress.But according to Sotto, they only removed less than P200 million from the department&#x27;s budget for contraceptives that are supposedly considered abortifacients.He also stressed that the department still has over a P2.275-billion lump sum budget, from its total budget of P123.5 billion, for Family Health and Responsible Parenthood (FHRP).&quot;Nung pinag-usapan namin sa deliberations yan, ang kinuwestiyon ko yung P195 million doon sa P3 billion for [FHRP]. Hindi namin tinanggal lahat... Tinanggal namin yung questionable as far as the COA (Commission on Audit) report is concerned na hindi matino ang paggastos,&quot; he said.&quot;Pero may mga natira pa dun. Ang kinuwestyon lang namin yung mga di maeksplika sa COA,&quot; he added.<div>The senator gave this breakdown of the scrapped P195,963,748 budget for FHRP:</div>- P15,964,748 - IUD - P30 million - male condoms - P50 million - Depot Medroxy Progesterone Acetate - P50 million - pills (combine oral contraceptives) - P50 million - pills (progestin only pills)&quot;Nandoon, P2.2 bilyon nga natitira sa kanila eh. Paano naging scrapped? Binawasan lang yung &#x27;excess fat,&#x27; yung sinabi ng COA na hindi nila maeksplika na ginastos nila kahit sinabi ng Supreme Court na hindi dapat,&quot; Sotto said.According to Sotto, the P1 billion scrapped from the DOH budget was transferred by the Committee on Finance to augment the budget of state universities and colleges (SUCs).&quot;Yung P1 billion saan dinala? Bakit nag-cut ang Committee on Finance? Eh maraming cinut na ibang department, hindi lang DOH. Lahat ng questionable budget na di naman nila maeksplika ng mabuti sa COA kinut, at inilagay sa mga [SUCs] dahil kulang na kulang ang budget,&quot; he explained.Meanwhile, Senator Pia Cayetano, the primary sponsor of the RH law, expressed disappointment that she was not informed of the budget cut.&quot;At every stage of the budget, I had asked for details. This was work in progress and the detailed amendments were not readily available. Thus, we work on a basis of trust - that the Chair of the Finance Comm would not make significant changes without informing the body,&quot; Cayetano said on her Twitter account.&quot;And in the case of RH, that major changes will not be made without informing me, knowing that I sponsored the measure. As of this time, my office is looking into this because this is totally unacceptable.&quot;

MANILA - Senator Vicente "Tito" Sotto III on Thursday clarified that the P1 billion cut from the budget of the Department of Health (DOH) was not wholly intended for the implementation of the Reproductive Health (RH) Law.

Sotto: Funds scrapped from DOH budget go to SUCs

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Sotto: Funds scrapped from DOH budget go to SUCs

Kathlyn dela Cruz,

ABS-CBN News

Published Jan 08, 2016 12:39 AM PHT

|

Updated Jan 08, 2016 12:40 AM PHT

Read More:

Tito Sotto

Senate

Department of Health

DOH

reproductive health law

RH law

health

contraceptives

budget

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