President Marcos emphasized the significance of education and health in improving the lives of Filipinos during his second State of the Nation Address. He promised that no Filipino would be left behind on their journey to progress. One of the key changes he mentioned for improving health services included establishing more specialty centers, expanding the coverage of the state’s health insurance, and addressing the shortage of health professionals. This post-pandemic health agenda appeared promising, but the lack of resources to support it quickly undermined its inclusive message.
When the national budget for 2024 was submitted to Congress, it revealed a different picture. The Department of Health (DOH) budget for 2024 was reduced from the current budget of P209.62 billion to P199.45 billion, according to House Deputy Speaker Ralph Recto. The biggest impact of this P10-billion budget cut was felt by the Lung Center of the Philippines, the Kidney Center of the Philippines, the Heart Center of the Philippines, and the Philippine Children’s Medical Center, which saw a staggering reduction of P818 million in their allocation. These specialty hospitals serve underprivileged Filipinos and were overwhelmed during the peak of the pandemic with COVID-19 patients.
Recto also highlighted other budget cuts, such as the reduction of over P10 billion in the P32.6 billion budget for the Medical Assistance for Indigents Fund, which now stands at P22.2 billion. Additionally, the P2.9 billion fund for the prevention and control of noncommunicable diseases was slashed in half to P1.7 billion. These budget cuts contradict the government’s promise of improving public health and social services.
What makes this situation even more disheartening is the allocation of bigger resources for confidential and intelligence funds without transparency or accountability. A total of P9.2 billion was allocated for these funds in three offices alone: the Office of the President, the Office of the Vice President (as concurrent education secretary), and the Department of National Defense. This unkindest cut on the health sector’s budget raises concerns about the government’s spending priorities, especially when the public is facing high prices of basic commodities and struggling to afford basic health services.
Recto further revealed that social services suffered due to excessive payroll and overhead expenses in maintaining a large bureaucracy, as well as rising debt service. The 2024 budget allocated P699.2 billion for debt service, accounting for 12 percent of the total budget, which is just slightly lower than the P893.3 billion allocated for general public services. The debt service, which covers interest and principal payments on the country’s debts, surpasses the individual budgets of several agencies, including health, local government, defense, transportation, social welfare, agriculture, and labor. Only the education department and public works have larger budgets.
This brings attention to the issue of who has the power to disburse taxpayer money. Currently, there is little scrutiny from Congress on the national expenditure program prepared by Malacañang and the Department of Budget and Management. The few voices in Congress that question the government’s spending priorities are often drowned out by their Palace-allied colleagues and the majority in the House who possess the power of the purse. Even any corrections or realignments made by the Senate during the bicameral conference committee can be easily undone. This highlights the lack of checks and balances in our government system, rendering useless the constitutional mandate for budget allocations by the President.
Unfortunately, the overarching goal of the present House seems to be to pass the national budget bill quickly, as seen with the 2023 budget. The House leadership aims to pass the 2024 budget before their recess next month, potentially leading to hasty decision-making and undesirable outcomes.
It is essential to consider the consequences of rushed budgeting and the allocation of taxpayer funds. The wellbeing of the Filipino people should be the top priority, ensuring that resources are utilized to benefit the majority. Our system of government should promote transparency, accountability, and effective checks and balances to prevent the misuse of public funds.
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