The Senate committee on finance, chaired by Sen. Manny Villar, is set to begin discussing the proposed 2006 national budget today at 10 a.m. in a meeting with the Development of Budget Coordinating Council (DBCC) in the Senate.
Officials and representatives of the Department of Finance (DoF), the Department of Budget and Management (DBM), and the National Economic and Development Authority (NEDA) will attend the DBCC meeting and discuss the macroeconomics assumptions used in the preparation of the
R1.05-trillion proposed national budget for next year.
"We want to get the ball rolling as early as possible so we can pass the budget for next year on time. It’s important that we get a budget each year and not a reenacted one. We are trying to put a stop to the notorious practice of a delayed approval and implementation of the budget. Next year’s budget should be passed before the end of the present year," Villar said.
According to the DBM, the 2006 proposed national budget will support the 10-point agenda under the Medium-Term Philippine Development Plan (MTPDP).
"After the DBCC meetings, we will start discussing the budgets of various departments and agencies of the government. These discussions will be on a committee level only. We cannot formally deliberate on the 2006 national budget until the Lower House submits to us their approved version," Villar said.
One-third of the 2006 proposed national budget is earmarked for interest payments of debt servicing.
The proposed budget allocations of some government departments are as follows: Department of Education, R119.1 billion; Department of Health , R9.97 billion; Department Public Works and Highways, R62.3 billion; and Department of Transportation and Communication, R14.2 billion.
"There is not much change as far as allocation is concerned," Villar said. "In the national budget it’s the same old story. Debt payments still corner the biggest chunk, at the expense of health, education, and other social services," he said.
