Press Release
October 3, 2008

ROXAS: ECONOMIC SLOWDOWN CALLS FOR REVAMPED BUDGET

Liberal President Senator Mar Roxas said the economic downturn in the United States calls for a shifting of priorities in the 2009 national budget, focusing on programs that would ensure stable livelihood and income for the poor.

"Mali na ang budget. Malaki na ang pagkaiba ng sitwasyon. At dahil dito dapat baguhin na rin ang ating prayoridad," said Roxas, chairman of the committee on trade and commerce.

"Oras na para repasuhin ang budget. Umabot na sa trilyon ang budget natin kada taon, pero nararamdaman ba natin ito? Wala naman kasing tutok sa mga talagang pangangailangan, tingi-tingi lang sa maraming bagay," he said.

He said boosting the agriculture sector should be made top priority in order to achieve food security by providing enough assistance to farmers, as a way of sparing the local economy from international food price shocks.

"Ano ba ang importante sa atin ngayon, lalo na't nakikita natin na nagbabago ang takbo ng ekonomiya sa mundo? Una sa lahat, dapat makakain tayo, dapat kaya nating pakainin ang sarili natin at hindi umasa sa iba," he said.

"Dapat pagtuunan nang pansin ang kinabukasan ng ating kabataan, kaya dapat bumuhos ang suporta sa sektor ng edukasyon at kalusugan. Ang ibang bagay ay puwedeng ipagpaliban na muna, dahil may mga dapat tayong tutukan," he added.

In the National Expenditure Program, GDP growth for 2008 was forecast at 5.5%-6.4%. Earlier this week, the government lowered this to 4.4%-4.9%. Aside from this, the earlier forecast exchange rate was P42-P45 to a dollar, but this has gone down to the P47:$1 level.

Roxas stressed the need to evaluate each item in next year's budget, especially lump sums whose uses are not clearly defined and which could be a source of corruption.

"Kailangan talagang higpitan ang sinturon, pero hindi ibig sabihin na mawawalan ng social services ang ating mahihirap. Unang-una, dapat maging mapagmatyag tayo laban sa katiwalian. Ang mga lump sum na ito ay siyang bunga ng mga scam na nagbabalewala sa sakripisyo ng ating mamamayan sa pagbayad ng buwis," he said.

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