ffifu.
ssInsQht
Thuisday, August 22, 2Ot9
CoFS, soldiers favored
in P4.1T 2O2O budget?
BY WENDELL VIGILIA
A CASE of favoritism?
This question was raised by the
left-leaning Alliance of Concerned
Teachers (ACT) pamy-list yesterday
as it slammed the P31 billion allot-
ment for salaryincrease of govern-
ment employees under the P4.1
trillion proposed national budget
for 2020 budget.
' ACT party-list, through.its na-
tional chair Joselyn Martinez, said
the amount is not even haif of the
money that the governmentis will-
ing to spend for the increase rn the
salaries of policemen and soidiers.
Martinez also said the allocation
for the increase in the salaries of
civilian state workers pales in com-
parison to the P76 billion budget
fot'the increase in the salaries of
all uniformed personnel.
Martinez called out President
Duterte's "favoritism" of the
police and the militarl', saying it
is "extremely unf-ak" for the gov-
ernment to spend P76 biilion for
the salary increase of more than
300,000 uniformed personnel but
is onll' lvilling to give "less than
half of the amount for civil-ian
employees who are four-foids in
numbef."
She said the P31 billion alloca-
tionwill only amount to a "measly"
P1,845 monthly increase or P61
pet day" if the 1.2 million govern-
ment employees will be given equal
pay hikes.
"The teachers are very disap-
pointed. This is notwhatPresident
ffisuls
(s)
Duterte has promised us. This
amount does not even fit the defi-
nition of 'enough to tide us over.'
Sfe need substantial salary inctease,
not crumbs. This is unacceptable,"
slp sai{rn a statement.
Malacafrang on Tuesday submit-
ted to the Flouse of Representa-
tives the proposed 2020 General
Appropriations Act (GAA) which
will be deliberated upon by con-
gressmen in the committee level
beginrung today.
Budget S ecretary \Wendel Avisa-
do ear]ier confirmed that the funds
for the next round of Salary Stan-
dization Law (SSL) are included in
the propos ed 2020 budget.
Martinez said the Duterte gov-
ernmeflt's'salary scheme "tells so
much of its paruality to war.and
Ne:";dt
, '. .i
repression over life, education and
basic services."
"Cleady, all of Pres. Duterte's
su/ee! talk about'malasakit'iq but a
farce. Na-duterte kami, pero hindi
kami papayag!" Martinez added.
Martinez warned that the ac-
tual planned pay hike fot teachers
might even be lower than their
calculations as "previous Salary
Standardization Laws always gave
less to ranlc-and-fi"1e employees and
more to high officials."
She said public school teachers
will continue to protest the "pal-
try" puy hike and press for salary
levels that teachers and other civil-
ian'employees need and deserve,
which is no less than Pl6, 000 for
See COPS ) Page 83
rJevr PAW pU.+

COPS
S{ary Grade I employees, P30,
000 forTeacher I and P31, 000 for'
Instructor I.
The Presidenthas authorized the
creation of another 10,000 Police
Officer I positions in the PNP
which would cost P3 billion under
the 2020 budget.
Duterte has also otdered the
DBM to approve the PNP's re-
quest forP14.4 billion budget for
the 26,685 positions "to bdng the
police-to-population tatio to the
ideal ration of 1:500."
The House committee on basic
education chaired by Pasig City Rep.
Roman Romulo on TuesJay cieated
a technical working group CflVG)
that will consolidate the proposals
for salary adjustrnents and allow-
ances for public school teachers.
Firstto be tackledbythe commit-
tee wete House BilI No. 6 authored
by SpeakerAlan Peter Cayetano and
tIB 2475 by Reps. David Suatez of
Quezon and Anna Marie Ytllamza-
Suatez of ATONA patty-list.
About 36 other similar measures
were filed by different lawmakers,
and once these bills are referred to
the committee, these will be assigned
to the TVTG for consolidation.
The committee named one of
its vice chairpersons, Nueva Ectja
Rep. Rosanna "Ria" Yergata,as the
TWG head.
The House will move its ple-
nary session from 3 p.-. to 5 p.m.
ftom Monday to Friday to make
room fot four committee hearings
scheduled by the House commit-
tee on appropriations fot budget
deliberations.
Lawmakers led by Speaket Alan
Peter Cayetano held a closed-door
mafority caucus at the SM Aura in
T"g"ig City to discuss how they
will go about the budget hearings,
which the House leadership wants
approved on final reading befote
the endof the year.
The budget hearings of the
committee on appropriations are
scheduled at 9 a.m., 9:30 a.m., 1,
p.m., and 1:30 p.m. to'expedite the
deliberations.
Majority leader Martin Romual-
dez said House members "muy
have to shutde betweenhearings in
order to maximize thek paracipa-
tion in the budget deliberations."
Romualdez satd he had also ap-
proved the request of House com-
mittee on appropriations 9hairm11 _
andDavzo CityRep Isidro Ungab-
, to allow the holding of committee ,
hearings on the budget while the
plenary session is ongoing.
"This vrill ensure that plenary
deliberations on other pending
issues,'such as the vital reveflue
measures, will push through even'
as we are wotking round the clock
on the budget bill," he added.
Under Section 71 df the House
Ruies, congtessmen are deemed
present during sessions if they
are attending committee mee'tings
authorized by the committee on
rules, which is concurrendy chaired
by, the majority leader.
Section 35 of the House Rules,
on the other hand, provides that:
"Only the committee on rules
and such committees to which it
has granted permission, may meet
while the House is in plenary ses-
sion, has adjourned, otis in !ecess."
Under the 2020 budget pro-
posal, the proposed budget of the
Department of Transportation
(DOTr) has doubled to P147 bil-
lion from P67.67 billion.
Of the amount, P1,06.7 billion
will be spent for the depar*nEnt's
rail transport program which in-
cludes P84.7 billion for the Nonh-
South Commuter Railway System;
P9.8 billion for Metro Manila Sub-
way Project Phase 1; P6.1 billion
subsidy for Metro Rail Transit 3;
P5.1 billion for MRTLine 3 Reha-
bilitation Project; P877 million for
the PNR South Long Haul Project;
P96.1, million for the Mindanao
Railway Project; and P74 million
for the Light Rail Transit Une 1 tax reform measures of the admin-
Cavite Extension Project.
Under the propos ed 2020 GAA,
the Department of Education will
continue to teceive the lion's share
with a proposed budget of P673
billion; followed by the DPWH's
P 534.3 billion; and the Departrnent
of Interior and Local Govern-
ment's pILG) P238 billion.
Nextis the Departrnent of Social
Welfare and D evelopment (I) SSflD)
with P195 billion; Deparunent of
National Defense, P189 billion; De-
partrnent of Health, P1 66.5 billion;
DOT?, P147 billion; DA, P56 bil-
\.',tlcr**r Dg
u NeI,&st/
(.L)
lion; the Judiciary,P38.7 billion and
the Department of Environment
and Natural Resoutces (DENR)
wirhP26.4 billion.
Cabinet Secreary I&rlo Nograles,
in a fotum in Manila, said there are
ongoing discussions among Palace
officials on the possibility of extend-
ing the validity of the 2019 budget
to enable the national government
to continue to use the funding until
nextyear as it tries to catch up on the
delayed implementation of cetain
programs and projects.
Nograles said that with the delayed
passage of the2019 brrdgeg therewas
also a delayin the release of the fund-
ing and eventually the implementation
of projects and progmms.
Nograles said government will
need more time to spend the fund-
ing funds, particulady for capital
outlay and infrastructure, and
reahze the ptogtams and proiects.
"S(/'e're trylng to play catch up
in terms of spending and it looks
like because delayed ang budget,
there are proposals to extend
the validity of ,the 2019 budget. I
would subscdbe to.that view also
kasi realistically we won't be able
to spend all of the money that has
been allotteQ for 2079," he said.
President Duterte signed the
2019 General Appropriations Act
(GAA) only on'April 15 this year
following the delay in the passage
of the budget in Congress.
The national government had
then operated under a teefiTct-
ed budget during the first four
months of the year.
The President, in his 2020 Budget
Message, had urged Congress to
pass next year's Genbral Appropda-
tion's Act alongwith the remaining
istration to help fund generate more
funds for government..
Nograles, a formerlawmaker and
chairman of the House of Repre-
sentatives' appropriationr .o*ifit-
tee, said the government canhot
afford anotherbudget impasse this
year, citing the impact ol the de-
layed 2019 budget on the economy
during the first half of the year.
He urged Congress to pufffor .
the "eady approval or qt th6'very
least, the appfoval as scheduled" to
avoid a reenacted budget for riext
ye^t. - With Jocelgn Montemqltor