MANILA (UCAN): The Church People-Solidarity Group Catholic Church, a labour group in the Philippines accused lawmakers of ignoring the poor, as well as the health and labour sectors with its 4.5 trillion peso ($697 billion) budget for 2021, approved on October 6, by not allocating a “sufficient amount” to cushion the effect of the Covid-19 coronavirus (SARS-CoV-2) on hard-hit Filipinos.
The organisation, made up of clergy and laypeople advocating the protection of workers’ rights, said lawmakers promoted social exclusion instead of social justice.
“The budget approved by Congress fails to address the needs of those who are affected by the (Covid-19) coronavirus pandemic, especially the workers. There was very little reserved for social amelioration of retrenched workers and the poor. A huge chunk of the budget was for infrastructure, which we think, is non-priority given the pandemic,” the group said in a statement.
“The budget approved by Congress fails to address the needs of those who are affected by the (Covid-19) coronavirus pandemic, especially the workers. There was very little reserved for social amelioration of retrenched workers and the poor. A huge chunk of the budget was for infrastructure, which we think, is non-priority given the pandemic,” the group said in a statement.
The group’s chairperson, Bishop Gerardo Alminaza, said Congress had intensified inequality by being anti-poor for its meagre allocation to the health and labour departments.
“The 2021 national budget intensifies social exclusion because it would show that the poor who cannot afford to go to hospitals or take swab tests would die due to lack of money in the health sector,” Bishop Alminaza told reporters.
The bishop said the government did not consider the predicaments of the poor.
“It does not guarantee health care, especially to the poorest of the poor and those severely affected by the Covid-19 pandemic,” he added.
“The budget speaks of so many things as it is an indicator of the priorities of the government or administration. It also confirms that health measures to control the coronavirus were not a priority under this administration, while only a fraction was allocated to the labour sector,” the bishop said.
Lawmakers had allotted 774.9 million each for social and health protection and for micro and small enterprises.
On the other hand, infrastructure and the military got a whopping $177.55 billion and $119.5 billion, respectively.
There is a burgeoning budget on infrastructure amid the worst health crisis and economic decline in the country’s history,” Bishop Alminaza said.
The bishop urged lawmakers to reconsider amending the budget to prioritise the more urgent needs of the people.
“Amid economic hardships and massive unemployment, the poor needed not only charity but also justice,” he said.
