The administration of President Ferdinand R. Marcos Jr. has allotted PHP206.50 billion worth of cash aid for vulnerable sectors under the 2023 proposed national budget to cushion the impact of surging commodity prices
In a press release, Malacañang on Sunday said a big chunk of the budget, PHP165.40 billion, will be allocated for the assistance programs under the Department of Social Welfare and Development.
The Department of Health (DOH) will get about PHP22.39 billion for the Medical Assistance to Indigent and Financially Incapacitated Patients.
A total of PHP14.9 billion will be provided for the Department of Labor and Employment’s Tulong Panghanapbuhay sa Ating Disadvantaged/Displaced Workers, a short-term emergency employment program, while PHP2.5 billion will be for the Department of Transportation’s fuel subsidies.
The Department of Agriculture will receive PHP1 billion for a similar provision of fuel assistance for corn farmers and fisherfolk.
Other budget allocations in specific programs under the 2023 National Expenditure Program include PHP115.6 billion for the Pantawid Pamilyang Pilipino Program; PHP25.3 billion for Social Pension for Indigent Senior Citizens; PHP19.9 billion for Protective Services for Individuals and Families in Difficult Circumstances; and PHP4.4 billion for Sustainable Livelihood Programs.
Meanwhile, PHP47.4 billion will be allocated to the Department of Education’s Universal Access to Quality Tertiary Education program which subsidizes higher and technical-vocational education while about PHP100.2 billion will go to the Philippine Health Insurance Corporation’s National Health Insurance Program.
The DOH Covid-19 compensation package will receive about PHP1 billion to cover an estimated 65,293 health care workers and PHP19 billion for the public health emergency benefits and allowances of 526,727 health care workers.
A total of PHP22.4 billion will support 1.6 million indigent and financially incapacitated Filipinos who are unable to afford and access quality medical care.
President Marcos previously ordered the continued distribution of emergency subsidies to help Filipinos cope with the impact of inflationary pressures.
He expressed hope that the financial assistance distributed to beneficiaries would “somehow mitigate the shocks” brought about by the rising prices of basic goods and commodities.
Marcos also reminded officials and employees in the national and local government units to recognize the needs of vulnerable sectors most affected by the Covid-19 pandemic and inflation.
The country’s headline inflation accelerated to 7.7 percent in October 2022, higher than the 6.9 percent reported in September the same year, according to data from the Philippine Statistics Authority
Source: Philippines News Agency
