ROXAS HITS PALACE FOR JUNKING SAFETY NETS
BUDGET OFFICIALS FACE GRILLING WEDNESDAY

Liberal President Senator Mar Roxas today said Malacañang's budget officials face intense grilling this Wednesday over wrong economic assumptions and for refusing to allot safety nets that would cushion the impact of the global financial crisis.

Roxas said Senate Finance Committee Chairman Senator Juan Ponce Enrile has recalled Malacañang's Development Budget and Coordination Committee (DBCC) to the Senate following concern that the 2009 budget would not be enough to cushion the impact of the global financial crisis.

"Kailangang ipaliwanag ng Malacañang kung bakit may babala na nang bagyong darating sa ating ekonomiya ay ayaw pa nitong kumilos (Malacañang has to explain to us why it would still not take action despite warnings of a coming economic storm)," said Roxas, chairman of the Senate trade and commerce committee.

Roxas had warned as early as a month ago that the global financial crisis will have a negative impact on people's incomes and threaten job security of OFWs, reduce demand for Philippine exports and even affect domestic spending.

He has proposed that Congress realign P100-billion in the proposed 2009 General Appropriations Act to fund the following safety nets:

1. A one-time income tax credit or refund for four million fixed-income workers worth P5,000 each, or a total of P20 billion;

2. P20 billion as additional budget for the education sector, of which P4.2 billion be spent for classroom building; P3.8 billion for teachers' salaries and training; P4.2 billion for desks and furniture; P200 million for school books; P7.2 billion to finance an extra year of high school, pursuant to SB 2294; and P400 million for maintenance and other operating expenses;

3. P12 billion funding for the government's health peace corps program, which would provide 45,000 barangays with health care services and benefits;

4. P10 billion to the DSWD's Conditional Cash Transfer program, twice the current amount of P5 billion, to provide greater financial assistance to those who need it the most;

5. P10 billion in agriculture support, including programs to provide fertilizer support and rehabilitation and maintenance of 1.4 million hectares of irrigated land nationwide;

6. P15-billion allocation for the Development Bank of the Philippines to provide assistance to boost capital and productivity of small enterprises;

7. P3 billion for OFW support; and

8. P10 billion on top of the budgets of various agencies implementing the Cheaper Medicines Act that was principally authored by Roxas.

Roxas said he is disappointed that Malacañang appeared to be adopting a "business as usual" attitude despite the dire economic forecast.

"Ang hindi ko maintindihan ay kung bakit mas pipiliin ng Malacañang na protektahan ang mga pork barrel ng mga pulitiko at ng Pangulo bago unahin ang kapakanan ng taumbayan (What I can't understand is why Malacañang would rather push pork barrel of politicians and the President than do something first to take care of the people's welfare)," he added.