Manila Bulletin
VP: Don't sell assets, spend unused 2019 budget for COVID-19 response
Vice President Leni Robredo advised the administration to utilize the unused portion of the 2019 national budget for COVID-19 response instead of selling government assets.
Robredo stated that if funds are available, there is no need to sell properties.
She highlighted that data indicate a significant portion of the 2019 budget remains unspent.
President Duterte had previously mentioned selling government assets like the Cultural Center of the Philippines and the Philippine International Convention Center as a last resort if funds for anti-coronavirus measures deplete.
Robredo argued that the unobligated appropriations from the 2019 budget, extended until this year by Republic Act 11464, can be realigned for COVID-19 initiatives.
The Vice President emphasized that the country's healthcare system should be the priority for these funds.
She raised concerns about the capacity of hospitals, including the availability of space, health workers, and essential equipment like oxygen and ventilators, should the number of COVID-19 cases continue to rise.
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President Rodrigo Duterte considered selling government assets like the Cultural Center of the Philippines and the Philippine International Convention Center as a last resort if funds for the COVID-19 response run out.
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Finance Secretary Carlos Dominguez III stated that selling government assets, such as military land, the Cultural Center of the Philippines, and the Philippine International Convention Center, is unlikely to be necessary for funding the COVID-19 response.
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The Department of Budget and Management (DBM) has identified P189.82 billion in unreleased appropriations from the 2019 and 2020 budgets that can be discontinued to fund the government's COVID-19 response.
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President Rodrigo Duterte admitted that the P275-billion coronavirus response fund is not yet on hand, as it is still to be collected in the second, third, and fourth quarters of the year.
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