Senate minority leader Franklin Drilon on Tuesday said the Duterte administration should be prepared to make crucial tradeoffs, including possibly deferring even flagship infrastructure projects, in order to generate more funds for COVID-19 response activities.
Drilon said the government may need to review its spending program for 2020, as he urged for greater government intervention to ease the impact of the contagion in the country.
“According to the President’s second report, out of the Php200 billion emergency subsidy Program, only P100-billion has been released, “ Drilon observed. “I’m calling on the secretary of finance to generate . Magnakaw ka, manghiram ka, wala akong pakialam. Produce mo ‘yung pera ,” the President said. With the passage the Bayanihan law, he said the government can free up more resources, realign and reprogram the same to appropriate responses against the crisis.
For instance, under the budget of the Department of Public Works and Highway , Drilon said there are about P30.17-billion for bridge construction, P52.8-billion for asset preservation program , P113.39-billion for network development program , and P90.12 billion for flood management program.
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