Fiscal Policy in the Philippines

The Philippines 2013 Budget is the national government’s blueprint of expenditures and sources of financing for the present year. It spells out the costs of government’s plans and operations for the entire fiscal year. More than that, however, crafted by a government that firmly believes that its sole purpose is to serve its true bosses the Filipino people this budget is the embodiment of our people’s collective hopes and desires.

According to the present president Benigno Aquino III, as we move forward along the straight and righteous path, they have continuously planted and nurtured the seeds of reform with the annual Budgets enacted under this present Administration. They have prioritized the people’s most urgent needs in order to genuinely and efficiently address poverty and inequality. They proposed P2. 006-trillion National Budget for 2013 which 10. 5 percent higher than this year’s budget of P1. 816 trillion. This Budget pursues empowerment by creating more opportunities for public participation in governance.

It invests significantly in the people’s capabilities by prioritizing funding for public services that provide jobs, educate our youth, ensure a healthier citizenry, and empower each Filipino to participate in economic activity. To ensure the swift fulfillment of our Social Contract, the administration has adopted policy measures to help national agencies accelerate their completion of priority program targets. They have to utilize our funds in a manner that is faster and more efficient, so that we can accomplish our critical programs and projects ahead of time.

They have designated the Department of Public Works and Highways (DPWH) as the principal infrastructure agency. This means that they will take charge of the timely implementation of critical infrastructure projects, including roads and bridges, classrooms, rural health facilities, farm-to-market roads, bridges for agrarian reform communities and tourism access roads, as well as other projects identified in the master plans of departments tasked with the primary provision of these infrastructures: the Departments of Education (DepEd), Health (DoH), Agriculture (DA), Agrarian Reform (DAR) and Tourism (DoT).

Our proposed Budget for 2013 deepens our performance budgeting and performance management system. Right now, our performance management system in government is unacceptably fragmented. It has caused much confusion among agencies, and has had them needlessly complying with redundant requirements. At worst, it has allowed an attitude of accountability avoidance in certain public institutions.

The remedy this matter the president issued Administrative Order No. 25 “Creating an Inter-Agency Task Force on the Harmonization of National Government Performance Monitoring, Information and Reporting Systems. ” This Task Force led by the DBM and the Office of the Executive Secretary will streamline and simplify all existing monitoring and reporting requirements and processes into a single Results-Based Performance Management System (RBPMS).

This will entail the development of a Common Set Performance Scorecard as well as a Government Executive Information System. As to present administration, this Budget is designed as a tool we can use to instill the highest standards of integrity and accountability in government. It seeks to strengthen our efforts in rebuilding the people’s trust in public institutions through greater transparency, accountability, and citizen participation in government.