National Budget's Priority Areas

Department of Education

It was announced that the DepEd’s appropriation for 2011 budget increased by almost 19% compared to last year’s (2010) budget. The department received a P207.3 billion, which is the largest portion of the year’s approved budget.

This is a big opportunity for the department to pursue its priority project that includes the universal kindergarten for all public schools. The public kindergarten program was set for five year olds as a preparation before they engage into basic education. And also, the department is currently studying the foundation on the twelve year basic education cycle. The purpose of this proposal to add two more years in basic education is to produce high school graduates who would be much prepared for heavy demands of college studies. The budget also allows the DepEd officials to hire 10,000 new teachers.

Department of Public Works and Highways

The DPWH was the second priority of the approved budget garnering P110.6 billion of the P1.645 trillion for this year. It was it was observed that the department has been slow in implementing infrastructure programs that resulted to under-spending. It was clarified by Public works secretary Rogelio Singson that this is a measure to make sure that expenditures would go into the right projects. Accordingly, this would enable the department to save or lessen their spending.

Though it was criticized of under-spending, the department had requested of a P129 billion proposed budget for 2012 but it was reduced to 125.9 billion by the Department of Budget and Management. The department aims for major long term infrastructure projects such as paving all national roads which would have been completed by 2016. But because of the reduction, it was declared that only 92% will be paved by 2016 instead of 100%.

Department of National Defense

The government has proposed a major increase in defense expenditure for year 2011 in what is seen as a bid to eliminate domestic insurgency and a reaction to military build-up in China. The allocated budget for this department was P104.7 billion which was accounted for the third biggest appropriation for this year’s budget.

According to budgetary papers, the 2011 allocation includes P82.3 billion for personal services, which includes military operations, P17.1 billion for maintenance and P5.1 billion for procurement. 

The increase in the defense budget was for the widely speculated build-up of Chinese naval forces in the region and heightened tensions surrounding the ownership of the Spratlys Islands, of which both China and the Philippines lay claim. This is to do with defending the Spratlys against Chinese encroachment. The government and armed forces are aware that in terms of external defense the Philippines' competence are nothing compared to China.