ROXAS TO PUBLIC: BE PREPARED FOR BAD ECONOMY
GMA ADMIN NOT PREPARING FOR CRISIS

Liberal President Senator Mar Roxas today warned the public to be prepared for a bad economy next year since the Arroyo Administration is unprepared to deal with the negative impact of the global financial meltdown following economic managers' testimony before the Senate this morning.

Roxas said he has asked President Arroyo's economic managers to quickly provide the Senate with an updated list of programs so the chamber could consider the proper changes that will allow the National Government to use the 2009 national budget as a tool to deal with the global financial crisis.

"Aminado ang economic team ng Pangulo na ibang-iba ang panahon ngayon, at maaapektuhan ang mga iba't ibang sektor. So ano ang gagawin natin sa mga sektor na iyon? Hindi malinaw (The President's economic team has admitted the the situation is so different today, and various sectors will be affected. So what are we going to do for these sectors? It's still not clear.)," Roxas said.

Senate finance committee chairman Senator Juan Ponce Enrile had recalled the Arroyo Administration's Development Budget Coordinating Committee that included its economic managers led by Finance Secretary Margarito Teves in line with Roxas' complaint that the proposed 2009 national budget needs recasting because it was no longer valid following the financial crisis that hit global markets a month ago.

Roxas had proposed that Congress realign P100 billion from the proposed P1.4-trillion national budget next year to fund safety nets that would soften the impact of the financial crisis on ordinary Filipinos, many of whom are expected to lose jobs or face income reduction as companies worldwide scale down work forces and consumer demand decreases.

"Kaya hiningi natin sa economic team na siguraduhing maaasikaso natin ang mga sektor na ito bago maipasa ang budget. Hindi maaari na 'business as usual' tayo rito, kasi hindi naman 'as usual' ang panahon ngayon (That's why we are asking the economic team to make sure that these sectors have safety nets before passing the budget. We can't be 'business as usual' here, since these times are not usual)," said Roxas.

The Ilonggo senator said an initial list of budget items provided by the Department of Budget and Management should provide the amounts for specific programs, and not just lump sums that could lead to corruption.

"Hindi ako papayag na may lump sum na hindi risonable. Sa karanasan ng Senado sa mga scam kagaya ng kay Joc-Joc, naniniwala ako na hindi rin papayag ang mga kapwa kong senador magpasa ng bilyun-bilyong lump sum (I won't allow unreasonable lump sums. With the Senate's experience with scams such as that of DA Usec Joc-Joc Bolante, I believe my fellow senators won't pass a multi-billion lump sum)," he said.

With a list of budget items for various sectors such as education and labor, Roxas said the Senate finance committee can sit down once more with the administration's economic team to finalize allocations for safety nets such as those that he had proposed earlier.

He has proposed that Congress realign P100-billion in the proposed 2009 General Appropriations Act to fund the following safety nets:

1. A one-time income tax credit or refund for up to four million fixed-income workers worth P5,000 each, or a total of P20 billion;

2. P20 billion as additional budget for the education sector, of which P4.2 billion be spent for classroom building; P3.8 billion for teachers' salaries and training; P4.2 billion for desks and furniture; P200 million for school books; P7.2 billion to finance an extra year of high school, pursuant to SB 2294; and P400 million for maintenance and other operating expenses;

3. P12 billion funding for the government's health peace corps program, which would provide 45,000 barangays with health care services and benefits;

4. P10 billion to the DSWD's Conditional Cash Transfer program, twice the current amount of P5 billion, to provide greater financial assistance to those who need it the most;

5. P10 billion in agriculture support, including programs to provide fertilizer support and rehabilitation and maintenance of 1.4 million hectares of irrigated land nationwide;

6. P15-billion allocation for the Development Bank of the Philippines to provide assistance to boost capital and productivity of small enterprises;

7. P3 billion for OFW support; and

8. P10 billion on top of the budgets of various agencies implementing the Cheaper Medicines Act that was principally authored by Roxas.

"The House of Representatives has passed its budget, which is practically the same as what Malacañang first proposed to Congress prior to the global financial meltdown. Now is the last chance for us in the Senate to restructure the budget, according to the real needs of the people. There's still so much to do, and we must work speedily to pass the budget before Christmas," he said.