Robredo to gov't: restore bottom-up-budgeting

VICE President Leni Robredo urged government to reconsider the scrapping of the bottomup-budgeting (BuB), which allows for barangay-level identification of projects meant to improve access to government services and alleviate poverty.

Robredo, a former congressional representative of Camarines Sur, was the principal author of People Participation in the Budget Process in the 16th Congress.

"I hope this can be reconsidered as the BuB enables more local officials and civil society organizations to be consulted in the process of identification of projects," Robredo said.

She expressed belief in the value of people participation, which maximizes the effectiveness of every budget peso by the correct identification of meaningful and useful projects for the community.

She narrated that in one such community deliberation they were taken aback that the community chose books and materials to help upgrade education in the community over school buildings.

"Ako umaasa na pag mas naaral iyong epekto dito sa komunidad, sana ma- reconsider ang desisyon. Ang impression kasi ay it was used for political ends," she told reporters.

Under the BuB the Local Poverty Reduction Action Teams come up with their action plans which become the basis for projects identified in the proposed budget.

Robredo added that the LPRATs are composed of local officials and CSOs.

"Half ito na local officials half na CSOs," she said. Budget Secretary Benjamin Diokno had called the Aquino administration's BuB a "waste of funds" and decided to do away with the program citing that it was used as a political tool.

The BuB started during the term of Robredo's husband, the late Local Government Secretary Jesse Robredo, and initially targeted to benefit only fourth, fifth, and sixthclass municipalities.

Government has spent P74 billion for 54,000 BuB projects since 2013.