Bicam OKs proposed P3.002-T 2016 budget

THE congressional bicameral conference committee approved Wednesday the proposed P3.002-trillion 2016 national budget.

Senator Loren Legarda, Senate finance committee chair, said among the highlights of the budget is the strong support for quality education with the increased allocation for the Department of Education (DepEd) to support the implementation of K to 12 basic education program.

The DepEd, which has the largest budget with P411.905 billion, would build classrooms and hire additional teachers to boost the education sector in the country.

Legarda said all state universities and colleges (SUCs), which would get P47-billion fund, would also receive additional funding for the Tulong Dunong program, academic buildings, provision of equipment, and other needed facilities.

She added that for the first time, funds has been allotted money for the payment of the total administrative disability (TAD) pension for surviving spouses of deceased World War II veterans and partial payment for TAD pension for living post-war veterans who are at least 80 years of age, as of 2016.

The Department of Environment and Natural Resources (DENR) would receive funds for its capacity building programs for the implementation of the Ecological Solid Waste Management Act, a long-time unfunded law.

Also included in the DENR budget was funding for the National Coral Restoration program to prioritize the protection of marine ecosystems, primarily through massive coral restoration.

The bicam also approved general and special provisions introduced by Legarda in proposed 2016 budget that would ensure the integration of disaster and climate resilience, environmental and heritage conservation, and sustainability in the programs of various government agencies.

Legarda said critical public infrastructures must be designed and built to be resilient to strong earthquakes, typhoons, flood and other extreme weather events.

In retrofitting bridges and other public infrastructure, the government shall give priority to areas considered to be highly vulnerable to seismic activity.

Special provisions under the budgets for the Department of Interior and Local Government (DILG) and the Department of Public Works and Highways state that the two agencies must ensure that evacuation centers are built on safe sites and designed to withstand wind speed of 300 kilometers per hour and moderate seismic activity of at least 8.0 magnitude on the Richter scale; utilize natural ventilation and rainwater through the inclusion of a rainwater catchment system; and include facilities for the special needs of women, children, the elderly, and persons with disabilities (PWDs) and such other physical provisions guaranteeing a humane condition for evacuees.

Legarda said the DepEd and SUCs must integrate the following in their respective curricula: environmental protection and awareness, disaster risk reduction, climate change adaptation and mitigation, indigenous knowledge systems pertaining to agriculture, environment and cultural heritage.

She likewise said the DILG should embark on a massive information campaign for local government units on the said issues while the Department of Social Welfare and Development, in the conduct of family development sessions among beneficiaries of the conditional cash transfer program, shall integrate in its program the protection of the environment, disaster risk reduction and climate change adaptation and mitigation, including the preservation of the indigenous culture of the locality.

The DSWD should also conduct capacity building programs to prepare its beneficiaries for the onset of natural hazards, Legarda said.

The senator said she also introduced a provision under the Metropolitan Manila Development Authority, which tasks the agency to allocate funds "for road sharing activities such as the promotion of non-motorized transport, construction of pedestrian-friendly facilities and conduct of programs and projects that are geared towards improving people mobility."

There is also funding for the Department of Foreign Affairs and the National Commission for Culture and the Arts for three major programs: preservation and promotion of Filipino heritage through research, documentation, publication, exhibition, and film production; scholarships and grants, such as funding for schools of living traditions; and cultural and heritage mapping projects.

The budget also contains a special provision that prohibits alteration, renovation, or demolition of heritage buildings and open spaces declared by government or presumed to be important cultural properties, including the protection of the sight line with regard to built heritage, cultural properties and cultural landscapes, without approval of cultural agencies and consultation with stakeholders.

In undertaking major infrastructure projects, the concerned department or agency shall be responsible specifically in the planning, design, construction, and maintenance of national roads and bridges as they impact on heritage structures or aspects of heritage conservation pursuant to the National Cultural Heritage Act of 2009.

Those who were present at the hearing were Senators Ralph Recto, Juan Ponce Enrile, Paolo Benigno Aquino IV, and Representatives Neptali Gonzales II, JC Rahman Nacva, Eric Singson, Maria Zenaida Angping, Pryde Henry Teves, Magtanggol Gunigundo, Eleandro Jesus Madrona, Dakila Carlo Cua, and Romero Quimba.

The bicam report will be presented by Legarda and House appropriations committee chair Isidro Ungab to their respective chambers during the session for ratification before the same is submitted to President Benigno Aquino III.

“We are confident that the President will be able to sign the proposed 2016 national budget into law before Christmas. In a way, this is our gift to the people as we have introduced allocations and provisions that will benefit those who most need government support,” Legarda said. (Sunnex)

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