HIS administration may have received criticisms for underspending the local budget during the first half of 2011, but President Benigno S. Aquino III is determined to have all that change next year.
According to reports, the President recently met with his economic managers on December 6, at the Christmas party of Bulong Pulungan at the Sofitel Philippine Plaza Hotel, to accelerate disbursements come January 2012.
During the meeting, Aquino’s economic managers were tasked “to monitor the system – not just the release by the Department of Budget and Management (DBM), but also the absorption capacity of the various departments and agencies.”
According to Pres. Aquino, the P1.8-trillion budget will be signed by December 15 to ensure that allocations for various programs and projects would be released by January. However, he emphasized that it will still be done with utmost “prudence.”
“The new term is disaggregrated items – there is an allocation for every project… from the start,” said the president in an ambush interview after the awarding of outstanding barangay courts in Malacañang.
The chief executive and his economic team planned on implementing “safeguards” to ensure wise spending, as disbursements intensify.
The president further said that he wants to maintain these “safeguards” and make sure disbursements from the Department of Budget and Management [DBM] will be evenly distributed to the intended agencies “at the quickest possible time.”
“The expenditures for a certain project must be monitored from the onset so that in case of any delay, it can be monitored and corrected as soon as possible,” Aquino said.
Despite efforts being done by the Aquino administration, members of the House minority bloc are convinced that prudence alone will not suffice in saving the country from an economic slump.
In a report from The Daily Tribune, Zambales Rep. Milagros Magsaysay called for Aquino to replace his economic team instead, to prevent a “bleaker” economic scenario next year. The solon also pointed out how “we all saw the the downturn (of the Gross Domestic Product) from a rosy 8 percent from the time of the former president (GMA) when she left the office and now it’s down to only 3.2 percent.”
Presidential Spokesman Edwin Lacierda reasoned that the current slump in the economy should not be blamed on the economic team of Aquino. He cited the current debt crisis in Europe and the economic turmoil in the United States as some of the factors of the recent decline in the Philippine economy. He also insisted that the economic team of the President is doing its job “in ensuring the economy remains in good shape despite the global economic problems.”
While prudence with the national budget may reflect a disciplined outlook, it can also be perceived as a sign of inefficiency, especially when immediate needs and local projects are put on hold.
But no matter how many disputes, disagreements and criticisms have ensued because of the Aquino administration’s frugal spending, one should give credit to the fact that the President is only keeping to his thrust, albeit single-mindedly.
While micro-managing (aka nickel and diming) may not be the best approach to any leadership, it is unavoidable for a chief executive who’s focused on keeping his promise of “daang matuwid,” especially since he has been coerced to engage in a power play with a resistant judiciary, who, supposedly, should play a pivotal role in ensuring that Aquino’s promise of “kung walang corrupt, walang mahirap “ comes into fruition.
“We are not changing priorities, the very first problem that I had during the campaign was jobs – it is still the economy that is still the priority. However, these things do not exist in a vacuum, they all interact, a judicial system that doesn’t promote stability and certainly does not enhance the economic environment,” Aquino said.
(www.asianjournal.com)
(LA Weekend Dec 10-13, 2011 Sec A pg.12)