‘P1.5B comes from bottoms-up budgeting’
THE National Government will spend P1.5 billion this year to implement projects identified by local government units (LGUs) and basic sector representatives in Central Visayas.
Officials from the Department of Interior and Local Government (DILG) and the Department of Budget and Management (DBM) assured that measures are in place to safeguard funds from the Bottom-Up Budgeting (BUB) against unscrupulous politicians.
“BUB is the antidote to political patronage,” said DBM Sec. Florencio Abad, explaining that the program gives power to grassroots communities to identify projects to be funded by the National Government.
DILG Assistant Sec. Josefina Go said the agency repeatedly issued memoranda reminding local government units to ob- serve the proper process of implementing the BUB.
Abad and Go were in Cebu City yesterday to attend the Visayas leg of the BUB summit.
More than 3,000 projects worth P6.71 billion have been proposed for the Visayas next year, Abad said in a statement.
This will bring to P19.98 billion the total funds allocated for the Visayas under the BUB since 2013.
Nationwide, the proposed budget for next year is P24.7 billion, with over P14,000 proposed projects.
Community-driven
Under the BUB program, which started in 2013, priority projects are jointly identified by communities and their LGUs.
The projects are incorporated into the proposed budgets of the implementing national government agencies for the approval of Congress.
Sec. Jose Eliseo Rocamora of the National Anti-Poverty Commission said some local chief executives were domineering when the program started, but “over the course of four years, lumalakas na ang loob ng (they’re gaining courage) civil society organizations.”
He stressed the importance of building the capacity of people’s organizations to participate in the budgeting process.
Since 2013, 1,590 cities and municipalities nationwide have benefited from the BUB program. The budget allocated for the program grew from P8 billion in 2013 to P20.9 billion this year.
This year, Eastern Visayas will receive the largest chunk at P1.9 billion. Abad said the region—which comprises the islands of Leyte, Samar and Biliran—needs help from the National Government more than others because it was the hardest hit when typhoon Yolanda struck the country.
The region received P1.8 billion last year and P622 million in 2013.
In Eastern Visayas, which comprises Leyte, Samar and Biliran islands, at least 1,150 projects will be funded this year.
According to the National Economic and Development Authority, the poverty level in the region rose to P54.9 percent last year from 45.2 percent in 2012.
Meddling
In a statement released in the threeday summit at the Montebello Villa Hotel, basic sector representatives noted that many local chief executives continue to meddle in the selection process of representatives from the civil society organizations in the Local Poverty Reduction Action Teams (LPRATs).
The LPRAT, where the LGU and the community or civil society have equal number of representatives, identifies the priority projects to be funded by the National Government.
Abad said the program promotes independence and empowerment among the poor.
He said the people should select leaders next year who will support the program.