By Fayette C.
Riñen
· CEBU CITY, October 20 --- Budget
Secretary Florencio “Butch” Abad bared that a P13 billion supplemental budget
has been allocated for 2015, which underwent review by the Office of the
President and will be submitted to Congress today as session resumes.
Abad during a breakfast
meeting with reporters in Cebu late last week said the supplemental budget will
be used to fund three priority projects.
According to Abad, first
priority would go to projects funded by the Priority Development Assistance
Fund (PDAF) which were started but were not paid for.
Second priority goes to
completion of PDAF projects which have already been listed, said
Abad, adding that the Department of Public Works and Highways has compiled
a listing of all projects that need to be completed.
The third priority will
be for new projects, the bulk of which pertains to the Philippine hosting of
the APEC Summit next year, declared Abad.
Ministerial meetings of
the APEC Summit will start in January 2015 "so we need to fast track
projects needed for the country’s hosting of such an important event," he
said.
Other projects up for
funding from the supplemental budget included the survey of the National
Household Targeting System for Poverty Reduction, which is needed after 44
provinces nationwide have been hit by super typhoon Yolanda.
Because of Yolanda, there
are thousands of families that have been displaced. We need to update our
data which is also needed for the conditional cash transfer program, said
Abad.
Abad further said
funding for the reconstruction and rehabilitation of all national bridges will also
be taken from the supplemental budget.
“There is a standing
order from the President that he wants all national bridges rehabilitated or
reconstructed completed by 2015,” said the budget chief.
Abad said the 2015
budget had already been finalized as of March or April, this year so the
additional priority projects that need funding have not been contemplated.
Also at the breakfast
meeting were Interior and Local Government Secretary Mar Roxas and Presidential
Spokesperson Edwin Lacierda.
The cabinet members also
attended the opening of the two-day Good Governance Dialogues undertaken by the
Department of Budget and Management with USAID and the Union of Local
Authorities of the Philippines. (rmn/fcr/PIA-7)