A MILITANT youth group called on the “brave solons” in the Malacañang-controlled House of Representatives to torpedo what it described as “anti-people” 2012 budget which it said was railroaded by allies of President Aquino.
Anakbayan is particularly questioning the P500-million budget cut in the proposed P1.816-trillion budget that will affect 50 state universities and colleges (SUCs) and the proposed funding for basic education and health at P238 billion and P49 billion, respectively.
“Both are way lower than the proposed minimum budget for basic education and health at 6 percent of the gross domestic product, or equivalent to around P400 billion,” said Vencer Crisostomo, the group’s national chairman.
The House’s appropriations committee reported out for plenary deliberations House Bill (HB) 5023, or the proposed General Appropriations Act, and set to tackle it next week.
“We are outraged that the House of Representatives is allowing Noynoy Aquino to screw up the welfare of the Filipino youth and people. We have no illusions that Noynoy will take our interests at heart, but we were actually hoping there would be enough brave solons to torpedo this anti-youth and anti-people budget,” said Crisostomo, who led a protest rally at the Batasan Complex in Quezon City while legislators voted to approve the budget.
“If our lawmakers really have the peoples’ interest at heart, there is no shortage of allocations which can be rechanneled toward social services,” he added.
The group is calling for the rechanneling of the proposed P161 billion presidential special purpose fund, P107-billion Armed Forces budget, and P723-billion debt-servicing allocation, to social services.
Militant groups have vowed to hold bigger rallies when legislators are set to approve the proposed budget in plenary session.
At the same time, Anakbayan warned a repeat of last year’s campus strikes should HB 5023 in its present form reach the Senate.
“If the very gates of Congress shook last August 25, the entire nation will be rocked by the anger of the youth if the budget cuts are not removed from HB 5023,” Crisostomo warned.
