BAGUIO CITY March 31 – The Cordillera Regional Development Council (RDC-CAR) approved the respective budget proposals of regional line agencies and state universities and colleges (SUCs) amounting to approximately P51.35 billion that will be included in next year’s national budget.
Milagros A. Rimando, Regional Director of the Cordillera office of the National Economic Development Authority (NEDA-CAR) and RDC-CAR Vice Chairperson, said the approved budget proposals will be forwarded to the concerned national offices for their consideration and inclusion in their overall budget proposals for 2016 that will be submitted to Congress for deliberations one month after President Benigno Simeon C. Aquino III shall have delivered his last State of the Nation Address (SONA).
In terms of human development, Department of Education had the biggest chunk of the budget with a proposal of P11.43 billion followed by the Department of Social Welfare and Development (DSWD) with a total of P6.3 billion, the Department of Health (DOH) had a 2016 budget proposal of P2.9 billion and the Department of the Interior and Local Government (DILG) with P755.34 million.
For SUCs, Benguet State University (BSU) proposed P479.9 million as its budget for 2016 followed by the Abra State Institute of Science and Technology (ASIST) with P368 million, Mountain Province State Polytechnic College (MPSPC) – P86.40 million, Ifugao State University (IFSU) – P74.04 million, Kalinga-Apayao State College (KASC) – P71.30 and Apayao State College (ASC) – P70.72 million.
In terms of economic development, the Department of Public Works and Highways (DPWH) proposed a 2016 budget of P24.54 billion, followed by the National Irrigation Administration with P3.1 billion, the Department of Agriculture – P483.52 million, the Department of Transportation and Communication (DOTC) – P389.1 million, the Department of Science and Technology (DOST) – P135.23 million, the Department of Trade and Industry (DTI) – P20.93 million, the Department of Labor and Employment (DOLE) – P14.0 million and the Department of Tourism (DOT) – P4.04 million.
In terms of climate change adaptation and mitigation, the Department of Environment and Natural Resources (DENR) proposed the biggest budget with P183.65 million followed by the Mines and Geosciences Bureau (MGB) with P34.1 million and the Environmental Management Bureau with P11.20 million.
Rimando explained the endorsed budget proposals of the concerned regional line agencies, and state universities and colleges will still be reviewed by their mother agencies and it will be up to them to fit in the supposed budget that should be given to the said agency in the coming year.
She added Cordillerans will just hope that mother agencies will be considerate enough in granting increased budgets for their respective agencies in the region so that socio-economic development will continue to flourish and contribute in improving the economy of the Cordillera as well as uplifting the quality of life of the people.
