DBM cites 2017 outlay gains for Eastern Visayas

TACLOBAN CITY, Dec. 12 (PNA) -– The Department of Budget and Management (DBM) has cited the benefits of 2017 “budget for real change” to poverty stricken and disaster-prone Eastern Visayas region.

DBM Regional Director Imelda Laceras said the region is one of the priority areas for next year’s spending since it is tagged as geographical focus being one of the country’s poorest and highly vulnerable to natural disasters.

The central government picked Leyte as one of the “geographical focus” for having the most number of poor in the region (132,377 families). Eastern Samar and Northern Samar have been tagged as the two provinces with highest poverty incidence at 63.7 percent and 50.2 percent, respectively.

All these three provinces, including Southern Leyte are considered as priority since they are highly vulnerable to disasters.

For 2017, the country’s outlay for the National Disaster Risk Reduction and Management Fund (NDRRMF) is PHP37.3 billion while the Department of Environment and Natural Resources will have PHP29.4B, which is almost 32 percent higher, to help build back our forests, reduce climate risks, and protect the integrity of the environment.

The three Samar provinces are included in the priority area of the Department of Agriculture for improved productivity, infrastructure support, and various livelihood projects for farmers and fishermen.

For 2017, the nationwide budget for the agriculture and agrarian reform sector is PHP120.5 billion, including Department of Agriculture’s (DA) allocation of PHP45.3 billion to boost the production and marketing of crops, fisheries, and livestock.

Part of the DA’s budget is for speeding up the construction of farm-to-market roads, post-harvest facilities, and other infrastructure projects.

Overall, the country will have a PHP3.35 trillion budget next year with 40 percent for empowering human resources through education, healthcare, social welfare, and other social services; 27.6 percent for economic services to fix the broken infrastructure network, boost agricultural and rural sector, and generate more jobs and livelihood; and 22 percent for general public services and defense.

With this development, Laceras has proposed a mechanism for priority regions like Eastern Visayas to to check if the thrust is translated into actual funding for the region next year.

“If you put that in the budget call as priorities, we should have a way of demanding from concerned agencies,” she added.

The 2017 outlay, dubbed as “A Budget for Real Change”, focuses resources on programs and projects that support President Rodrigo Duterte’s 10-point socioeconomic development agenda.(PNA)
LAP/SARWELL Q. MENIANO/EGR