ROXAS: "GET REAL, GROW UP, MAKE HARD DECISIONS"
BUDGET BASED ON UNREALISTIC ASSUMPTIONS, NOT ON PEOPLE'S NEEDS

Liberal President Senator Mar Roxas said today the government should stop defending a 2009 budget that is based on unrealistic assumptions and that is not attuned to the needs of the people amid a foreseen economic slowdown.

This, as he said Senate Finance Committee Chairman Juan Ponce Enrile agreed to his proposal that the Development Budget and Coordination Committee (DBCC) be recalled before the committee for questioning on the macroeconomic assumptions of the 2009 general appropriations act.

"It's time for the government to get real and grow up. It is time for them to realize that the way it cannot act the same way now as how it had been operating for the past years. It's time to change" he said.

"Dapat baguhin na ang pamamaraan ng gobyerno sa paggawa ng budget. Trilyon na ang budget natin, wala namang tunay na pagbabago dahil wala itong tunay na pokus sa talagang pangangailangan ng taumbayan (The government should revamp the way it comes up with the budget. It's already in the trillions, but we don't see real change because there's no sincere effort to focus it on the needs of the people)," he said..

Roxas pointed out that while global financial institutions have projected weaker economic growth for next year--as low as 3.8% growth in gross domestic product (GDP)--the 2009 general appropriations bill that recently passed second reading in the House retains a high GDP growth projection of 6.1% to 7.1%.

"Nakikita na nating hihina ang ekonomiya, pero parang tinatabangan pa ang gobyerno sa panawagan natin para agad na repasuhin ang budget para sa susunod na taon. Dapat makita nilang kulang ang ginagawa nila para protektahan ang taumbayan na natatakot mawalan ng kabuhayan dulot ng parating na krisis (We see the economy weakening, but the government's lukewarm to our call for the budget's revamp. It should realize that its actions are not enough to protect the people and their jobs)," he said.

"Ang layo na ng mga numero, pero hindi pa rin sinisimulan ang pagrepaso sa budget. Ibig sabihin nito, may P1.4 trilyon tayong budget na napakalaki nga pero hindi naman nakaayon sa realidad, na hindi naman natin kakayaning pondohan (The numbers are very different, but the government has yet to start recasting the budget. This means we may have a large P1.4-trillion budget that is not attuned to reality, that we may not be able to fund anyway)," he said.

The Ilonggo Senator pointed out that year after year there had been no significant change in the lives of the people because of the way the budget is designed - "tingi-tingi" or too spread out thinly among too many items.