ICC, Iligan City (09/19/08) — Congress is convinced that the budget for each department should be higher than the previous ones.
This was stressed by speaker Prospero Nograles, who was among those was with President Gloria Macapagal Arroyo when she visited the government troops at the fourth infantry brigade, first infantry division (104th Bde), Philippine Army in Ditucalan, Maria Cristina, this city.
Also with the President, the Commander-in-Chief of the Armed Forces of the Philippines (AFP) were National Defense secretary Gilberto Teodoro, National Security Adviser Norberto Gonzales and Press Secretary Jesus Dureza.
Speaker Nograles said the budgets of the departments should be increased to be able to respond to its various programs, especially those on food sufficiency, energy crisis and other projects and programs to fight the poverty.
We are subsidizing rice, which the government sells at 8 pesos per kilo as food sufficiency is our flagship program and then we want to help our people with their electric bills. Thus Congress will be giving so much to the government, Nograles explained.
He said the budget hearings are almost over and they are set to finish it in October. By November, Congress will be sending their proposal to the Senate for confirmation.
It would be good if we will finish our hearings at the same time. And I hope they will be able to thresh out their little differences and be able to concentrate on the budget because we don’t want to waste our time, Nograles concluded. (PIA-10)
