LA TRINIDAD, Benguet – Benguet Caretaker Congressman and Anti-Crime and Terrorism through Community Involvement and Support (ACT-CIS) Party-list Rep. Eric Yap announced that the province will be getting over P12 billion worth of hard and soft projects under next year’s P5.024 trillion proposed annual budget of the national government.
Yap, who chairs the powerful House Committee on Appropriations, disclosed that the projects that had been provided with the appropriate funds by concerned government agencies had been included in the national expenditure program that accompanies the proposed annual budget prepared by the government’s finance and budget officers.
Of the said funding support, the Benguet lawmaker claimed that P11 billion will be earmarked for hard infrastructure projects lodged with various government agencies while over P1 billion will come in the form of soft projects such as the medical assistance for indigent patients (MAIP), Assistance to Individuals in Crisis Situation (AICS), Tulong Panghanapbuhay Para Sa Ating Disadvantaged or Displaced Workers (TUPAD), among other assistance programs provide some aid for the vulnerable and marginalized sectors for them to hurdle the impact and challenges of the ongoing Coronavirus Disease 2019 (COVID-19) pandemic.
For this year, Benguet got over P13 billion worth of hard and over P1 billion worth of soft projects to further improve the status of the province and realize the overall objective of making it one of the first-class provinces in the country.
Congressman Yap pointed out that the funded projects will be implemented by the concerned government agencies.
According to him, it is the first time in the history of the province that it is able to continuously get multi-billion worth of projects in 2 successive years, that is why the road to development of Benguet is definitely on the right track.
The lawmaker attributed the significant increase in the funds being infused for the various development projects in the province to the desire of the present administration to prioritize the development of the rural areas to spur economic growth by creating more jobs for the people and establishing additional economic activities that will serve as supplemental sources of livelihood.
He asserted that he just wants to be instrumental in helping in the overall development of Benguet being an adopted son of the province and as his gesture of returning the compliment to the people for warmly welcoming him as the legislative caretaker over the past 2 years.
At present, Benguet is a second-class province based on the classifications of local governments which was based on the guidelines provided by pertinent laws, rules and regulations.
Yap assured the people of Benguet of the continuous provision of assistance to the households where funds for the same will be coming from the various programs, projects and activities of concerned government agencies where such programs had been lodged. By HENT
