MAYROONG nakalaan na halos P500 bilyon sa ilalim ng panukalang 2024 national budget para tulungan ang tinatayang 48 milyong Pilipino mula sa 12 milyong mahihirap na pamilya, ayon kay Speaker Ferdinand Martin G. Romualdez.

“For the first time, under the administration of President Ferdinand Marcos Jr., we are allocating half-a-trillion pesos, or about nine percent of the national budget, as assistance to the poor and households with insufficient income,” ani Speaker Romualdez na nagpasalamat kay Ako Bicol Partylist Rep. Zaldy Co, chairman ng House Committee on Appropriations, Sen. Sonny Angara, chairman ng Senate Finance Committee, at sa kanyang mga kasamahan sa Kongreso sa paggawa ng isang pro-people budget.

“We are hoping that in some way, we are able to support people who badly need government help to get them through hard times,” sabi ng lider ng Kamara na mayroong mahigit 300 miyembro.

Nakatakdang lagdaan ni Pangulong Marcos ang 2024 General Appropriations Bill (GAB) sa Miyerkoles sa isang simpleng seremonya sa Malacañang.

Ayon kay Speaker Romualdez sa ilalim ng panukalang national budget ay kasamang popondohan ang bagong programang AKAP o Ayuda sa Kapos ang Kita.

“It’s a P60-billion fund, whose aim is to provide direct cash assistance to the ‘near poor’ or families earning up to P23,000 a month. At least 12 million households will benefit from it, including low-income workers like those in construction and factories, drivers, food service crew, and the like,” ani Speaker Romualdez.

Ayon sa lider ng Kamara, ang mga benepisyaryo ay makatatanggap ng one-time cash assistance na nagkakahalaga ng P5,000.

“If the program is successful, we can continue implementing it next year,” sabi in Speaker Romualdez.

Sinabi ni Speaker Romualdez na P23 bilyon ang nakalaang pondo para sa Assistance to Individuals in Crisis Situation (AICS) ng Department of Social Welfare and Development at P30 bilyon naman sa Tulong Pang-hanapbuhay sa Ating Disadvantage/Displaced Workers (TUPAD) ng Department of Labor and Employment.

Ayon kay Speaker Romualdez patuloy na pinopondohan ng Kongreso ang “legacy projects” ng administrasyong Marcos—ang Legacy Food Security, Legacy Specialty Hospitals, and Legacy Housing para sa mga mahihirap.

“For Legacy Food Security, we allocated P5 billion to support our farmers with free irrigation, seeds, fertilizer, and other farm inputs. Another P5 billion is appropriated for the buying of their produce at market prices,” wika pa ni Speaker Romualdez.

“By providing much-needed capital and buying their harvest, we will not only create jobs and assure the income of our farmers – we can ensure supply of affordable and high quality local rice,” dagdag pa nito.

Naalala ng lider ng Kamara ang utos ni Pang. Marcos sa National Irrigation Administration (NIA) na bilisan ang implementasyon ng mga irrigation projects bilang paghahanda sa El Niño phenomenon.

“NIA has enough funds to do this. Congress allocated P80 billion for NIA to build more dams, water reservoirs and solar irrigation systems. More irrigated lands mean better food production,” aniya.

Para sa Legacy Hospitals, sinabi ni Speaker Romualdez na magtatayo ng mga bago at palalakihin ang mga kasalukuyang pasilidad ng mga specialty hospitals gaya ng nais ng Pangulo.

“We hope to finish them within three years. For 2024, we have appropriated P1 billion for UP-Philippine General Hospital, P1.5 billion for National Kidney and Transplant Institute, P1 billion for Philippine Cancer Center, P1 billion for Philippine Children’s Medical Center, P1 billion for Bicol Regional Medical Center, and P500 million for Batangas Regional Medical Center,” sabi ni Speaker Romualdez.

Magpapatuloy din umano ang mga programa para sa libreng pagpapagamot, konsultasyon, at medisina para sa mga mahihirap.

Sinabi ni Speaker Romualdez na sa mga darating na araw ay matatapos na ang mga housing projects ng gobyerno.

“With government subsidy, more Filipinos can now have access to quality, affordable housing. Since monthly amortization is only P2,500 to P3,500, government housing will be much more affordable than the projects of private developers, which cost about P15,000 a month in amortization,” dagdag pa nito.

Ayon kay Speaker Romualdez, ang Kongreso ay naglaan din ng P1.5 bilyon para sa pagpapalaki ng airport sa Pag-asa Island na isang hakbang upang igiit ang soberanya ng bansa sa West Philippine Sea.

Bukod dito, sinabi ng lider ng Kamara na mayroong nakalaang P800 milyon para sa pagtatayo ng shelter port para sa mga mangingisda at kanilang bangka sa Lawak, Palawan – isang isla na pinakamalapit sa Ayungin Shoal, kung saan nakadestino ang mga sundalong Pilipino sa pinasadsad na BRP Sierra Madre.

“We in Congress are one with the President in protecting the West Philippine Sea and in calling out China for its aggressive activities there, and its harassment of our Coast Guard, soldiers, fishermen, and civilian vessels. We urge China to accept the ruling of the Permanent Court of Arbitration, which invalidated Beijing’s expansive territorial claims in the South China Sea, including the West Philippine Sea,” dagdag pa ni Speaker Romualdez.