House Committee on Appropriations chairman, AKO BICOL Party-list Rep. Zaldy Co highlighted the positive side of the proposed 2023 budgets of the various departments and agencies that were handled by his panel Thursday, Sept. 1

This, as the appropriations panel tackled the proposed 2023 outlays of the Department of Interior and Local Government (DILG), and its attached agencies; the judiciary; the Department of Energy (DOE); and the Energy Regulatory Commission (ERC) in marathon hearings Thursday.

Co said in a statement that the P251.18-billion proposed budget of the DILG will help the Philippines recover from the socio-economic impact of the unprecedented pandemic.

"Our road to optimum economic recovery and attaining the fulfillment of our agenda for prosperity lies in the enhancement of the capacity of LGUs (local government units) to efficiently perform devolved services and functions toward greater devolution," the panel chairman said.

“Through this budget, we must strengthen LGUs’ capacity to recover from the socio-economic impact of the Covid-19 pandemic. institutionalize LGU preparedness and resilience to natural disasters and in managing risks and crises,” Co said.

As the government steps up its fight against insurgency, criminality, and illegal drugs to ensure people’s safety, Philippine National Police (PNP)--which is supervised by the DILG--expectedly got the highest proposed budget allocation at P191.496 billion.

The DILG’s Philippine Public Safety College (PPSC) received the biggest bump from its 2022 budget. It was allocated P719.409 billion for 2023, up 11.44 percent from this year’s P645.573 billion.

Co said the proposed budget also shows that DILG prioritizes the needs of women, youth, and Muslim Filipinos. This, as the Philippine Commission on Women was allocated P109.207 million; the National Youth Commission, P126.653 million; and the National Commission on Muslim Filipinos, P744.671 million.

Aside from the DILG budget, the appropriations committee also looked into the budgets of the judiciary (P52.72 billion), the DOE (P2.222 billion), and the ERC (P1.038 billion).

Co cited the innovations introduced by the Supreme Court (SC) that “enable the Judiciary to face the challenges of dispensing justice in a world disrupted by the Covid-19 pandemic".

Among them are the Philippine Judiciary 365 app and the Judiciary Electronic Payment System. The Philippine Judiciary 365 app—deployed to all courts nationwide as the platform for videoconferencing hearings (VCH)—allowed for continued hearings of cases under the strictest health protocols.

On the other hand, the Judiciary Electronic Payment System—currently implemented in pilot first-level courts—streamlines the processes of assessment and payment of legal court fees.

Co said these pandemic innovations by the High Court effectively “increase public access to judicial services worth praising and mentioning".

The House leader also congratulated the SC for “the success of the first-ever digitalized and regionalized Bar Examinations held in February this year with 11,402 examinees, with the results released in a record-breaking time at barely two months after".

“We look forward to more Judicial innovations to deliver efficient and accessible justice in real-time to the public,” Co said.

Meanwhile, the appropriations chairman noted that over 20 percent of DOE’s allocation is meant to address climate change issues.

Co said the following DOE programs will help the country withstand the shocks expected from climate change: Energy Efficiency & Conservation Program, with a budget of P252.354 million; Renewable Energy Development Program, P145.214 million; and Alternative Fuels & Technologies Program, P78.862 million.

Among its many targets for 2023, the ERC seeks to fully implement its Green Energy Option, Net-Metering, and Retail Aggregation Program.