At least two senators on Tuesday expressed support for the proposed extension of the validity of the 2021 national budget.
Senator Franklin Drilon said he supports the extension of the availability of the 2021 national budget until December 2022 in view of a “dismal disbursement rate of 31.5% due to COVID-19 pandemic.”
“That means, for every P1,000 the Congress appropriated, only P300 is disbursed this year. That is unacceptable especially when we look at the statistics: 4.2 million Filipino families experiencing involuntary hunger and 4 million Filipinos unemployed,” Drilon said.
“We should use the budget in order to generate economic activities, feed Filipinos and create jobs amid the pandemic,” Drilon added.
Drilon said the extension of the 2021 national budget should carry with it a tall order to every agency to ensure that every peso appropriated is being spent in a “judicious and timely manner.”
“Underspending is like a disease that impedes our growth. I urge Congress to carry out its oversight of the national budget and monitor the spending of the budget,” Drilon said.
Meanwhile, Senator Sonny Angara, chairman of the Senate committee on finance, said he supports the measure as he also hopes that his colleagues in the Senate will also back the extension.
“It would be better for the country’s recovery if we were to extend the effectivity of the 2021 budget in order to implement projects and fund programs which might have been delayed during the year for one reason or another,” Angara said.
On Monday, the House of Representatives approved on second reading the bill which seeks to extend the validity of the 2021 national budget to December 31, 2022.
In a voice vote during the plenary session, House Bill 10373 was approved, seeking to amend Section 62 of the general provisions of Republic Act 11518, the General Appropriations Act of Fiscal Year 2021 to allow agencies to fully utilize the allocated budget for this year.
The fiscal year 2021 had a budget of P4.5 trillion.—LDF, GMA News
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