As part of its campaign to combat poverty and fulfill the Millennium Development Goals by 2015, the Aquino administration earmarked P9.02 billion in funds for the agency-wide implementation of priority poverty reduction projects through the bottom-up budgeting approach.
The allocated funds were identified in a Joint Memorandum Circular by the Department of Budget and Management (DBM), Department of Interior and Local Government (DILG), Department of Social Welfare and Development (DSWD), and the National Anti-Poverty Commission (NAPC). The circular outlined policy guidelines and procedures for implementing bottom-up budgeting in the 2013 budget preparations.
“The Administration is making the most of this landmark opportunity to create a budget that accounts for the needs of our poorest communities. The P9.02 billion for critical antipoverty projects under the bottom-up budgeting scheme will allow government agencies to give greater focus to projects that prioritize the poor,” Budget and Management Secretary Florencio B. Abad said.
Of the total amount, the largest allocation—amounting to P2.84 billion—will go to the Department of Agriculture, while another P2.60 billion is earmarked for the Department of Education. The Department of Health, along with the Philippine Health Insurance Corporation, will receive P1.11 billion, while the National Electrification Administration will receive P993 million in fund support for its priority anti-poverty projects.
Other participating agencies with funding allocations under the bottom-up budgeting plan are the Department of Agrarian Reform, the Department of Energy, the Department of Environmental and Natural Resources, DSWD, DILG, and the Department of Labor and Employment.
According to Abad, participating agencies are required to prioritize key poverty reduction programs in targeted cities and municipalities when allocating the department’s budget ceilings. At least 10 percent of budgets for programs and projects under an agency shall be set aside for funding these projects.
“An agency’s budget proposal should include allocations for the focus cities and municipalities in their programs and previous lump sum allocations. Otherwise, the DBM will revise the agency’s budget proposal as necessary so that the resulting proposal is properly aligned with the bottom-up approach,” Abad said.
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