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Makabayan solons to challenge 2023 budget cuts to educ, health, services

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Anjo Bagaoisan, ABS-CBN News

MANILA - Lawmakers from the Makabayan coalition on Saturday vowed to keep scrutinizing the slashing of funds in the proposed 2023 national budget for education, health, social assistance, and agriculture.The representatives of Gabriela, ACT Teachers, and Kabataan party-lists said they also plan to continue challenging what they see as questionable budget hikes for some government agencies, including the offices of Pres. Ferdinand Marcos Jr. and vice president Sara Duterte.Rep. France Castro of ACT Teachers said despite their coalition’s lower showing in the House of Representatives, this will not prevent them from advocating for changes to benefit more people.<ul class="op-related-articles">	<li><a href="https://news.abs-cbn.com/news/07/19/22/congress-should-spend-more-time-monitoring-budget-enforcement-solon">Congress should spend more time monitoring budget implementation vs creation: solon</a></li></ul>&quot;Kahit lumiit ang bilang ng Makabayan sa Kongreso, nakita naman natin kung paano tayo magtrabaho to scrutinize nang husto ang budget sa 2023, so hindi natin papayagang makaalpas ‘yong mga tinitingnan nating budget na tingin natin hindi dapat nakalagay doon,” she said in a livestreamed webinar.Castro added they have accomplished this in previous budgets by working with other like-minded lawmakers.For the Makabayan group, while the budgets for basic sectors grew in total along with the P5.26 trillion budget, crucial projects had been given less funds.<ul class="op-related-articles">	<li><a href="https://news.abs-cbn.com/news/08/22/22/education-infrastructure-get-biggest-share-in-2023-natl-budget">Education, infrastructure top spending in proposed P5.2-trillion 2023 national budget</a></li>	<li><a href="https://news.abs-cbn.com/news/08/25/22/ph-budget-for-2023-to-focus-on-economic-recovery">PH budget for 2023 to focus on economic recovery - solon</a></li></ul>They added the first proposed budget under the Marcos Jr. administration fails to address the effects of the pandemic, such as increased poverty, unemployment and inflation.“Ang na-sacrifice talaga sa budget na ito ay ‘yong pangangailangan ng maliliit natin mga mamamayan. Ang direktang pakinabang ng mga maliliit nating mamamayan ang nawala sa budget na ito,” said Gabriela Rep. Arlene Brosas.<div>WHAT WERE CUT?</div>In agriculture, the group noted a decrease of P119 million funding for small scale irrigation projects.They added the National Food Authority’s (NFA) budget grew by P5 billion to P12 billion but will only buy over 3 percent of farmers’ rice produce, a fraction of the 20 percent the sector is asking from the government.Funds were also allocated for credit assistance over subsidy for farmers, fisherfolk and other agricultural workers.Makabayan also lamented the new administration’s lack of a new and comprehensive agrarian reform program.<ul class="op-related-articles">	<li><a href="https://news.abs-cbn.com/news/09/02/22/dars-p1585-b-proposed-2023-budget-breezes-through-house-panel">House panel approves DAR&#x27;s P15.85-B proposed 2023 budget</a></li></ul>Meanwhile, they noted the cutting of funds for the industry and micro, small, and medium enterprises development program in the Department of Trade and Industry’s proposed budget.Brosas said this could prevent small businesses which comprise majority of local enterprises from getting back on their feet.Under social aid, Makabayan flagged the slashing of funds for the social amelioration program, wage subsidy, fuel subsidy, “libreng sakay” and other assistance programs such as the TUPAD or aid for displaced workers.In education, Castro hit the lack of substantial salary increase and the cutting of benefits for teachers and school workers.Alongside this, state universities and colleges got a P10.86 billion budget cut.<ul class="op-related-articles">	<li><a href="https://news.abs-cbn.com/video/news/08/26/22/budget-cuts-for-natl-archives-natl-library-et-al-hit">History defunded: Lawmaker blasts budget cuts for Nat&#x27;l Archives, Nat&#x27;l Library, et al</a></li>	<li><a href="https://news.abs-cbn.com/news/08/31/22/dbm-explains-dip-in-budget-for-up-in-2023">DBM explains budget for UP, PGH in 2023 spending plan</a></li></ul>Health care was also impacted with the trimming of budgets for government hospitals such as the Lung Center, National Kidney and Transplant Institute, Philippine Children’s Medical Center, and the Philippine Heart Center.Hit as well were the COVID-19 response budget, compensation and benefits for COVID-19 healthcare workers, and funds for regional health centers.Makabayan rued the fraction to be spent for public housing projects in favor of big infrastructure work.<ul class="op-related-articles">	<li><a href="https://news.abs-cbn.com/business/08/31/22/budget-dept-defends-unprogrammed-funds-for-2023">Not itemized? DBM defends P588-B unappropriated funds for 2023</a></li></ul><div>WHAT WENT UP?</div>Rep. Raoul Manuel of Kabataan said debt servicing and so-called &quot;oppressive agencies&quot; benefited most from the proposed budget.He said the debt burden of P611 billion was bigger than the combined budget for health and social protection.<ul class="op-related-articles">	<li><a href="https://news.abs-cbn.com/business/08/31/22/budget-dept-defends-unprogrammed-funds-for-2023">Not itemized? DBM defends P588-B unappropriated funds for 2023</a></li></ul>The defense budget also went up by nearly P30 billion to P250.7 billion, with the biggest percentage increase going to the Armed Forces of the Philippines modernization program.The P10 million allotted to the barangay development program under the National Task Force to End Local Communist Armed Conflict (NTF-ELCAC)Manuel hit the hike in confidential and intelligence funds for the Offices of the President and Vice President.<ul class="op-related-articles">	<li><a href="https://news.abs-cbn.com/news/09/01/22/ovp-defends-confidential-expenses-in-proposed-budget">Sara Duterte office defends confidential expenses, good governance fund</a></li></ul>He said they will question what they called the “vice presidential pork” allotted to the Duterte’s office when it faces lawmakers this week and ask that it be reallotted to more needed sectors.&quot;Dapat ay ma-realign sa specific na mga proyekto—lalo na ‘yong confidential funds—papunta doon sa basic needs na malinaw na hindi confidential hindi dapat gawing sikreto,” Manuel said.“Halimbawa ngayon nagbukas na ang mga paaralan pero kulang-kulang sa pasilidad, walang mga standard measures paano safely makakaaral sa mga campus dahil nandiyan pa rin ang pandemya.”The Makabayan lawmakers also urged senators to scrutinize the budget on their end. <div>RELATED VIDEO:</div><figure class="op-interactive"><iframe height="315" src="https://www.youtube.com/embed/KOkb2YeFgXQ?enablejsapi=1" width="560"></iframe></figure><div class="iwantbar">Watch more News on <a href="https://www.iwanttfc.com/#!/browse/Genres/News/tag_id_genres/id_news" target="_blank">iWantTFC</a></div>

The Makabayan bloc said it will scrutinize the slashing of funds in the proposed 2023 national budget for education, health, social assistance, and agriculture.

Makabayan solons to challenge 2023 budget cuts to educ, health, services

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Makabayan solons to challenge 2023 budget cuts to educ, health, services

Anjo Bagaoisan,

ABS-CBN News

Published September 04, 2022 06:55 PM PHT

Read More:

Makabayan

2023 budget

budget

Gabriela

ACT Teachers

Kabataan

France Castro

Arlene Brosas

Raoul Manuel

Office of the President

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