CITY OF SAN FERNANDO—A resolution favorably endorsing the 2016 budgets of a number of national government agencies in Central Luzon was recently passed by the Regional Development Council (RDC).
The regional agencies of the national government that had their funds approved include the Department of Environment and National Resources, P793.19 million; Department of Trade and Industry, P176.45 million; Department of Tourism, P24.96 million; Department of Education, P45.15 billion; and the Technical Education and Skills Development Authority (Tesda), P381.72 million.
Department of Labor and Employment, P302.53 million; Commission on Higher Education, P21.27 million; Department of Health, P2.67 billion; and the Department of the Interior and Local Government (DILG), P861.1 million, were also approved, said a report from the Philippine Information Agency in the region.
“The review and endorsement to the national government of the annual budgets of the these agencies’ regional offices and special development authorities is pursuant to Section 4 of Executive Order 325 of former President Fidel V. Ramos,” RDC Vice Chairman Severino Santos said.
“Such review of RDC was mandated to ensure transparency, as well as consistency, of the utilization of funds to the development goals of Central Luzon in general as stated in the Regional Development Plan and the seven provinces within the region, namely Aurora, Bataan, Bulacan, Nueva Ecija, Pampanga, Tarlac, and Zambales in particular,” added Santos, who is concurrently regional director of the National Economic and Development Authority for Central Luzon.
Among the development goals of the region and the provinces are building globally competitive, progressive and resilient citizenry; minimizing natural-disaster casualties and economic losses; promoting sustainable land-use activities; ensuring food security; reducing extreme poverty; and maintaining conflict-free and safe communities.
The DepEd allocated P6.78 billion next year for Senior High School, mainly for the construction of classrooms and hiring of teachers, while Tesda seeks to provide a mobile training facility for each province in response to the recommendation of the Sectoral Committee on Social Development of the RDC.
The PIA said the DOH’s budget “covers the revitalization of more primary health-care facilities and the upgrade of hospitals under the Health Facilities Enhancement Program in order to decongest end-referral hospitals,” while DILG shall “implement additional Bottom-up Budgeting and SalinTubig projects.”
Meanwhile, the RDC will hold a full council meeting on Tuesday to review the budget proposals of the Department of Public Works and Highways, National Telecommunications Commission, Department of Agriculture, National Irrigation Administration, Department of Science and Technology, Bureau of Fisheries and Aquatic Resources, Mines and Geosciences Bureau, Environmental Management Bureau, Department of Agrarian Reform, and the Department of Social Welfare and Development.