Philippines: Civil society serenades legislators, Seeks P20 billion budget increase for social expenditures

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PUBLISHED ON December 20, 2007 AT 9:50 AM

Civil society organizations belonging to Alternative Budget Initiative (ABI) serenade today the Congressional bicameral committee to seriously consider in the deliberations of the 2008 budget the proposal to allocate P20 billion more for social expenditures and reduce debt payments.

Wearing Santa hats, the group sings their demands to the tune of Filipino Christmas songs demanding more funds for education, health, environment and agriculture while appealing for transparency on the deliberation of the General Appropriations Act of 2008.

ABI, composed of forty eight civil society groups led by Social Watch, urges the bicameral committee to tap P80 billion worth of funds as alternative sources of financing. It includes P21 billion worth of debt-related funds identified by the Freedom from Debt Coalition (FDC) from:

· P12. 5 billion savings out of a more realistic exchange rate of P 42 to a dollar, instead of Malacanang’s bloated P 48 to a dollar forecast.

· P 5.1 billion from “payments” of proposed loans for programs, projects and bonds which are not covered by Section 26 (b) book 6 of the Revised Administrative Code of 1987 which provides for the automatic appropriations on debt servicing.

· P 4 billion worth of suspended payments to illegitimate debts which are challenged to be fraudulent, wasteful and useless.

Prof. Leonor Magtolis Briones, Co-convenor of Social Watch asks Congress to use another P 60 billion worth of funds designated for the repair and purchase of helicopters and other air transportation requirement under the Office of the President and other budget items found to be vulnerable to presidential discretion and difficult to exact accountability and transparency.

“The bicameral committee also known as the “third House” should craft the budget with the interest of the people on top of their concern. The public will not have the opportunity to take part in the process but the results of their deliberation will affect the lives of millions of Filipinos,” said

Briones said the meeting will be exclusive to the legislators and the outcome of the meeting should be reported to the people.

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