IN THE 2019 national budget proposed by the Department of Budget Management, the Basic Education Facilities Fund suffers a P69.4-billion cut compared to 2018 while the Health Facilities Enhancement Program fund of the Department of Health is trimmed of P30.3 billion.
On the other hand, the Department of National Defense gets P183.4 billion, an increase of P46.9 billion or 34.4 percent from the 2018 budget. The Philippine National Police also gets P172.6 billion from P132.5 billion in 2018 or a 30 percent increase.
Clearly, despite human rights issues facing the military and police, the government still prioritizes the war on drugs and defense over social spending. Giving hard-earned taxes to these institutions is like rubbing salt to the wounds of victims and signifies continuing violations and impunity.
The government should also increase the budget of health and education agencies to, among others, hire additional personnel, increase their salaries and improve their facilities and other resources. For instance, at the Western Visayas Medical Center in Mandurriao, Iloilo City it’s a typical scenario in wards for patients to share beds while the number of medical personnel is also lacking compared to the number of patients coming in.
Are there no new constructions of health facilities for next year? There is this disturbing number of stunted and wasted Filipino children, increasing leptospirosis outbreaks and the expected full-blown impact of Dengvaxia in 2019.
The government gets more money from the poor through TRAIN (Tax Reform for Acceleration and Inclusion) Law, and yet they don’t prioritize social services?
