Department of Budget and Management (DBM) Secretary Amenah Pangandaman stood firm on Monday that the administration of President Ferdinand R. Marcos Jr. followed the proper process when it tackled the 2024 General Appropriations Act.
“Ang ginagawa po namin ‘pag nagpapasa, tulad po ngayon, ang pinasa natin ay National Expenditure Program, of course ‘pag GAA, mayroon po tayong budget process and we always respect po ‘yung wisdom ng Kongreso kung mayroon po silang adjustments na gagawin sa budget,” Pangandaman said.
Pangandaman made the remarks in a media interview when asked to react to allegations of Vice President Sara Duterte that the 2024 General Appropriations Act was mishandled.
Nevertheless, Pangandaman noted that the budget allocation for the Department of Education (DepEd) has increased from its National Expenditures Program of PhP711 billion to PhP715 billion in the 2024 GAA.
“Ang masasabi ko lang po ang PhP700 billion it was quite a huge increase from previous level niya noong 2023. Because it was then kung kailan po ginawa at saka ni-launch ng ating Bise Presidente ‘yung kanilang Matatag Program,” Pangandaman said.
The MATATAG Agenda was launched as the new direction of DepEd towards improving the quality of basic education in the country, according to a DepEd memorandum issued last year. | PND
