Duterte SONA outlines budget
President Duterte is set to submit the proposal for the 2018 national budget worth R3.767 trillion to Congress on the day of his State of the Nation Address (SONA) on July 24, the Department of Budget and Management (DBM) said yesterday.
Budget Secretary Ben Diokno, during the Mindanao Hour press briefing yesterday morning, said the submission of the proposed national budget during the SONA is the first time in history.
“The President plans to submit the budget on the day of the SONA itself. So that’s a first time in Philippine history. Why are we doing this, so we can have an early start for the 2018,” Diokno said.
He said the biggest chunk of the proposed budget is granted to education and then to infrastructure development.
The 2018 budget represents 21.6 percent of the projected gross domestic product (GDP) for next year and is 12.4 percent higher than the 2017 budget which is R3.35 trillion.
The Departments of Public Works and Highways (DPWH) and of Transportation (DOTr) are getting hefty budgets of R643.3 billion and R73.8 billion, respectively.
The Department of the Interior and Local Government (DILG) is also one of the top 10 recipients of the national budget with R172.3 billion.
The Department of Health (DOH) will get R164.3 billion; the Department of National Defense (DND), R145 billion; the Social Welfare and Development (DSWD), R138 billion; Agriculture (DA), R54.2 billion; the Autonomous Region in Muslim Mindanao (ARMM), R33.5 billion; and the Environment and Natural Resources (DENR), R27.9 billion.
No specific threat On security duing the SONA, Armed Forces of the Philippines (AFP) spokesman Brig. Gen. Restituto Padilla said they have so far not monitored any specific threats in relation to the event.
In a press briefing at Camp Aguinaldo, Quezon City, Padilla said insofar as their monitoring is concerned, they have no information of any specific group that would want to create chaos or destabilization during that day.
“Wala kaming impormasyon na ganyan. Sa kasalukuyan ang monitoring natin sa SONA wala naman pong lumalabas ngayon sa JTF NCR (Joint Task Force National Capital Region). Sa pulis hindi ko po batid (We don’t have any information on that. So far based on our monitoring with JTF NCR, nothing came out. I don’t know with the police),” he said.
Padilla said just like in previous SONAs, the AFP would be there giving assistance to the Philippine National Police (PNP) in providing security inside and outside of the Batasan Complex.
SONA protests Meanwhile, officials from the National Capital Regional Police Office (NCRPO) assured groups who will march to the Batasang Pambansa for the President’s second SONA that there will be no violent dispersal.
NCRPO Director Oscar Albayalde said protesters will be allowed to air their grievances as long as they do not violate laws. “While we respect democracy, freedom of speech and assembly, we still have to subscribe to the laws of the land...We have laws to follow,” he said.
He gave the assurance during their dialogue with leaders of militant groups, as well as human rights lawyers, barangay official and community leaders in time for the upcoming SONA.
In the dialogue, Bagong Alyansang Makabayan (BAYAN) secretarygeneral Renato Reyes said they will march not to cause disorder but only to express their concerns, one year since the President promised to bring change into the country. (With reports from Francis T. Wakefield and Vanne Elaine P. Terrazola)