TARGET PRIORITIES, ACHIEVE NATIONAL GROWTH - ANGARA

Senator Edgardo J. Angara said the 2010 budget, which he expects to be passed before the Congress adjourns, will allow the Philippines take on the daunting challenge of a growing population, an environment under extreme stress, rapid technological breakthroughs, and a dramatically restructured global financial market.

"We are now going to operate under a new surrounding and our 2010 budget must fit into this entirely different environment. We need to adapt to this new environment to cope and survive. And we can do this by focusing our expenditure on infrastructure, job generation and by preparing for the morning-after scenario through human capital investments," said Angara who chairs the Senate Committee on Finance.

He added, "The 2010 budget is all about growing the economy and greening the country - emphasizing the promotion of clean technologies, realizing our huge potential for renewable energy, filling our huge infrastructure gaps, and raising our educational qualification, agricultural productivity and shoring up a failing health care system."

"By passing the 2010 budget on-time, we are expected to provide a comprehensive stimulus package for our people and the economy as a whole. This holds true since we crafted the budget and aligned it to focus on job creation, infra spending and human capital investments," he added.

"In carefully designing the architecture of our national budget, we are pursuing a green and sustainable growth. We can do this by improving our public services, capitalizing on our rich renewable energy resources, our human resources, and creating green jobs and income opportunities that would provide a better quality of life for Filipinos,' said Angara.