Duterte proposes record $135b budget to help Philippines recover

MANILA • Philippine President Rodrigo Duterte is seeking a record 5.024 trillion pesos (S$135 billion) for the 2022 budget to help the country recover from the coronavirus pandemic, said the presidential spokesman yesterday.

The government is facing multiple challenges including reviving a pandemic-hit economy, containing the spread of more infectious coronavirus variants, and creating jobs through its infrastructure programme.

The proposed budget, 11.5 per cent higher than the 2021 allotment, will be submitted to Congress on Monday, Mr Harry Roque told reporters.

The social services sector, which includes Covid-19 vaccine procurement and universal healthcare, will receive the highest allocation at 1.92 trillion pesos, followed by 1.47 trillion pesos for the economic service sector that involves key infrastructure projects, Mr Roque said.

It is the final budget for Mr Duterte, who will end his single six-year term next June.

The South-east Asian nation, which was among the fastest growing economies in Asia before the coronavirus pandemic, exited recession in the second quarter after five consecutive quarters of contraction.

A renewed surge in Covid-19 cases, driven by the virulent Delta variant, has brought total infections to 1.75 million and deaths to 30,366, government data shows.

Mr Duterte's proposed budget will likely face tough scrutiny from lawmakers after state auditors flagged inefficiencies and deficiencies in the use of government funds, including those meant to fund pandemic measures.

The health ministry is under fire for not paying risk allowances to overworked nurses, and "deficiencies" involving US$1.3 billion (S$1.77 billion), casting doubt on the country's pandemic response.

Health Secretary Francisco Duque, who has faced calls to resign, at the weekend denied that any money had been stolen and Mr Duterte on Monday backed the minister.

REUTERS