Press Release
June 24, 2015

CHIZ SAYS BUDGET FOR BANGSAMORO REGION DEPENDS ON BBL APPROVAL

Sen. Chiz Escudero said discussions on the spending package for the implementation of the proposed Bangsamoro Basic Law (BBL) will be put on hold until the measure is passed into law.

"Hangga't wala pang BBL na naipapasa, hindi ito pwede aksyunan," Escudero said, referring to the funding support that the national government plans to extend to the proposed Bangsamoro region.

Escudero, chairman of the Senate Committee on Finance, earlier disclosed that the planned Bangsamoro government stands to receive at least P70 billion in the first year of the BBL's implementation.

He said the amount was just a ballpark figure and was on top of the revenue income the Bangsamoro government could generate should it begin imposing taxes and fees, and exploring natural resources.

The senator previously vowed to push for the line-item budgeting of the BBL funds to ensure transparency and accountability into the spending of government funds.

Based on the computation of the finance committee in the past, P25.2 billion of the P70 billion will come from the Annual Block Grant; P7 billion from the Special Development Fund; P1 billion from the Transition Fund; P12.6 billion from the National Government Subsidy; P19.9 billion from the Internal Revenue Allotment (IRA); P1.7 billion from the ARMM/Bangsamoro collections; and a one-time P2.6 billion Normalization Fund.

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