Rep. Defensor wants 20% cut from non-essential gov't expenses for COVID-19 campaign

Anakalusugan party-list Rep. Mike Defensor urged President Duterte to impose mandatory savings of at least 20 percent from non-essential government expenses.

These savings are intended to be reallocated to bolster the country's anti-COVID-19 campaign under the Bayanihan to Heal as One Law.

Defensor suggested that significant savings could be achieved by reducing expenditures on travel, seminars, and other non-essential items.

He specifically pointed to the PHP1.6 trillion allocated for maintenance and other operating expenses (MOOE) in the 2020 budget as a potential source for these cuts.

Examples of non-essential MOOE items that could be reduced include travel expenses, training and scholarships, supplies and materials, representation, communication, hiring of consultants, advertising, subscriptions, donations, printing and publication, and membership dues.