Sorsogon Governor Chiz Escudero said at least 150 barangays in the province will be affected by the substantial reduction in the proposed 2022 spending plan of the National Task Force to End Local Communist Armed Conflict (NTF-ELCAC).
In an online interview, the former senator pointed out that the anti-insurgency task force’s allotment for its Barangay Development Program (BDP) this year has benefitted some 16 barangays in Sorsogon, with 157 rural development projects that included road networks, daycare centers, electrification, and potable water system.
“Labing-anim na barangay ang nabigyan ng benepisyo ng NTF-ELCAC sa kanilang Barangay Development Program. Sa kabuuan, ang natanggap ng mga barangay na ito ay kulang-kulang Php400-M na bottom-up budgeting ang ginamit. Ibig sabihin hindi ako namili ng projects. Ang namili ng mga proyekto ay ang mga barangay residents mismo at pinapatupad na siya ngayon,” he said.
The Senate Committee on Finance, however, slashed the budget of the anti-insurgency task force by Php20-B to Php4-B, or about 16 percent of the original proposal of Php28.1-B, and decided to appropriate the money to the funds of the health workers’ COVID-19 benefits for 2022.
Commenting on the budget cut, Escudero said it will be “unfortunate” if the BDP’s allocation will be affected as the NTF-ELCAC included 150 Sorsogon barangays for next year’s development projects.
“Ang Sorsogon ay binubuo ng 541 barangays. ‘Yung unang nakabenepisyo sa BRP ay 16 lamang na barangay. Ayon sa NTF-ELCAC, ‘yung kanilang BDP sana next year ay may 150 ‘yung kanilang pinanukala na magbenepisyo na more or less ay Php20-M per barangay sa 2022,” the veteran legislator pointed out.
“So, kaya ko lang sabihin sa amin sa Sorsogon, maganda ang programa ng barangay development program at malaki ang tulong talaga sa mga barangay. Next year, kung hindi tinapyasan ang pondo, ang benepisyaryo sana sa lalawigan ng Sorsogon ay 150 barangays. Pag tinapyas ‘yan, tatapyasin din yung bilang ng mga barangay na magbebenepisyo,” he added.
The Senate plenary deliberations on the Php5.024-T budget for next year started on Wednesday, November 10.
Escudero, however, said that should the proposed Php24-B cut in the BRP push through, President Duterte can still realign the budget.
“Sa ilalim ng Konstitusyon, may kapangyarihan ang presidente mag-realign basta may piso yung item na ‘yon. Pwede ‘yan i-augment, pwede ‘yan i-realign ng sinumang pangulo,” he said.