Villar vows "hard-working" Senate will scrutinize
pro-poor programs in 2008 budget

Senate President Manny Villar today welcomed the early approval of the proposed 2008 budget by the House of Representatives and said the Senate will now start scrutinizing the P1.227 trillion national appropriations outlay, especially its anti-poverty programs said to involve some P8 billion in public funds.

"The Senate will have to see to it that the pro-poor programs included in the 2008 budget are relevant, realistic and transparent. We have to make sure that these programs would effectively address the actual needs of poor Filipinos," Villar said. "The war against poverty should be the cornerstone program of this government and the national budget is the most potent weapon in winning that war," he added.

Villar said he was happy that the House approved the budget measure Monday, saying this would give the Senate ample time to finish the budget process before December ends. He said Congress should be able to present a reconciled version of the 2008 budget for the president's signature before the end of the year.

Albay Rep. Edcel Lagman, chair of the House committee on appropriations, said House Bill No. 2454, will be transmitted to the Senate on Wednesday for concurrence. At the rate the bill was passed, Lagman said the House and Senate could consolidate any differences in their respective versions of the bill by the first week of December.

Villar said he was satisfied with the proposed timetable advanced by Sen. Juan Ponce Enrile, chairman of the Senate Finance Committee, who said his committee would report the Senate budget bill for floor deliberation on Nov. 26.

The Nacionalista Party president said the Senate would scrutinize the various anti-poverty provisions in the 2008 budget such as the Kilos Asenso program worth P3 billion, the Kalayaan sa Barangay program worth P1 billion and the government Hunger Mitigation Program, formerly known as School Feeding Program (Malusog na Simula: Yaman ng Bansa) worth P3.755 billion.

During the Kapihan sa Senado forum last Thursday, Enrile said the pro-poor programs were the main highlights of the proposed 2008 budget that underscored the government's determination to win the war against poverty.

Villar said many senators would like to take a closer look at Malacañang's pro-poor programs and find ways on how to improve its implementation "to ensure that the benefits would trickle down to the poor masses."

The Senate President pointed out that the early passage of the 2008 budget would validate his "multi-tasking management style" under which a "hard working Senate conducts several congressional investigations in the name of public transparency and accountability but at the same time effectively performs its main tasks of legislation."

In the House version of the 2008 General Appropriations Act, the budgets for education and health were increased by P6.9 billion and P6.8 billion, respectively.

Included in the health budget increase was the P1.82-billion added to the P180-million allocation for reproductive health and family planning programs. The outlay for these programs now stands at P2 billion.

Infrastructure received a P3.9-billion increase, while the public safety and security sector, including the Philippine National Police, got an additional P1.8 billion. Agriculture received P1.4 billion more in its budget, while the Departments of Justice and Energy were granted P753.2 million and P500 million more, respectively.