Duterte signs P4.1-trillion national budget for 2020

President Rodrigo Duterte signed Republic Act 11465 or the P4.1-trillion General Appropriations Act for 2020 on Monday, several days after a new national budget should have taken effect on New Year's Day.

In his speech, Duterte assured the public that every peso in the budget will not be spent for the greed of the few.

In a press statement, Senate finance committee chairman Senator Juan Edgardo Angara said under the 2020 General Appropriations Act, the Department of Public Works and Highways received a net increase of P51.139 billion.

“The idea is to complete as many projects as possible by the time President Duterte ends his term in 2022," Angara said.

"For the more complex projects, the plan is to get the ball rolling already so that the next administration will just continue these and complete them during their term,” he added.

Education and social services, two key areas that are important to the President, are also given priority in the 2020 GAA.

Angara said Congress wanted to remove all the obstacles to children getting a proper education—be it due to poverty, geographical isolation or other reasons.

The conditional cash transfer or the Pantawid Pamilyang Pilipino Program will continue as part of the government’s efforts to reduce poverty in the country.

Benefits due to the senior citizens, including the social pension of P6,000 annually, will still be funded in the 2020 budget.

In the delivery of health care, the 2020 GAA ensures the health care professionals such as the doctors, nurses, midwives and dentists will continue to be deployed the different communities around the country who are in need of their services.

“The Department of Health will be able to continue its hiring of doctors, nurses, midwives, dentists, and other health professionals under its Deployment of Human Resources for Health program," Angara said.

"A significant number of our kababayans are situated in far flung areas and cannot afford to travel when they need medical attention and that is why this program should be sustained and supported,” he added.

The top 10 budgets based on new appropriations are as follows:

1.    Education (DepEd, SUCs, CHED, TESDA) – P654.6 billion
2.    Department of Public Works and Highways – P580.8 billion
3.    Department of Interior and Local Government – P239.8 billion
4.    Department of National Defense – P191.7 billion
5.    Department of Social Welfare and Development – P163.8 billion
6.    Department of Health – P101 billion
7.    Department of Transportation – P99.3 billion
8.    Department of Agriculture – P62.2 billion
9.    Judiciary – P40.1 billion
10.    Department of Environment and Natural Resources – P25.5 billion —NB, GMA News