A senator who strongly criticizes some of the present administration's policies cheered on Friday as "a historic first" the signing into law of the 2017 national budget.
In a statement, Akbayan Senator Risa Hontiveros said the passing of the 2017 budget with a special provision mandating Congress to conduct a comprehensive audit of the country's debt is laudable.
Hontiveros, who introduced the general provision, said that the process of a debt audit is an important policy tool to unburden the Filipino people from paying onerous and illegitimate debts and beef up funding for social service spending.
"This is truly a historic first. With this provision, we commit to diligently scrutinize the country’s debts if they are indeed in accordance with the principles on promoting responsible sovereign lending and borrowing by the United Nations Conference on Trade and Development (UNCTAD), and repudiate the illegitimate part of our overall debt," she said.
Meanwhile, Hontiveros, who is chair of the Senate committee on health, welcomed the P3 billion infused in the 2017 budget of the Philippine Health Insurance Corporation (PhilHealth) covering all Filipinos. She called this the "great catalyst" to achieve universal health care in the Philippines.
On the other hand, House of Representatives appropriations committee chairman Karlo Nograles called the signing into law of the P3.35 trillion General Appropriations Act (GAA) for 2017 as signalling the “dawning of a new day” for the country.
In sa statement, he said, “Today, with the approval of the first full budget of the Duterte administration, we could expect to see a full bright new day ahead for all of us Filipinos.”
Upon signing the GAA for 2017, President Rodrigo Duterte claimed that it is "pro-poor."
Among the budget's "pro-people" provisions are: the P58.72 billion for state universities and colleges and P18.7 billion for Commission on Higher Education (CHED); P454.7 billion for the Department of Public Works and Highways (DPWH); P128.3 billion for Department of Social Welfare and Development (DSWD); P96.3 billion and another P53.22 billion for the Philippine Health Insurance Corporation (PhilHealth); P2 billion for the the National Irrigation Administration (NIA) to make irrigation free for all farmers; among others.
In a statement, Akbayan Senator Risa Hontiveros said the passing of the 2017 budget with a special provision mandating Congress to conduct a comprehensive audit of the country's debt is laudable.
Hontiveros, who introduced the general provision, said that the process of a debt audit is an important policy tool to unburden the Filipino people from paying onerous and illegitimate debts and beef up funding for social service spending.
"This is truly a historic first. With this provision, we commit to diligently scrutinize the country’s debts if they are indeed in accordance with the principles on promoting responsible sovereign lending and borrowing by the United Nations Conference on Trade and Development (UNCTAD), and repudiate the illegitimate part of our overall debt," she said.
Meanwhile, Hontiveros, who is chair of the Senate committee on health, welcomed the P3 billion infused in the 2017 budget of the Philippine Health Insurance Corporation (PhilHealth) covering all Filipinos. She called this the "great catalyst" to achieve universal health care in the Philippines.
On the other hand, House of Representatives appropriations committee chairman Karlo Nograles called the signing into law of the P3.35 trillion General Appropriations Act (GAA) for 2017 as signalling the “dawning of a new day” for the country.
In sa statement, he said, “Today, with the approval of the first full budget of the Duterte administration, we could expect to see a full bright new day ahead for all of us Filipinos.”
Upon signing the GAA for 2017, President Rodrigo Duterte claimed that it is "pro-poor."
Among the budget's "pro-people" provisions are: the P58.72 billion for state universities and colleges and P18.7 billion for Commission on Higher Education (CHED); P454.7 billion for the Department of Public Works and Highways (DPWH); P128.3 billion for Department of Social Welfare and Development (DSWD); P96.3 billion and another P53.22 billion for the Philippine Health Insurance Corporation (PhilHealth); P2 billion for the the National Irrigation Administration (NIA) to make irrigation free for all farmers; among others.
Source: gmanetwork
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