Underspending sa 2020 dapat iwasan ng gobyerno

MATAPOS pirmahan ni Pangulong Rodrigo Duterte ang General Appropriations Act para sa 2020, hinimok ni House deputy majority leader BH party-list Rep. Bernadette Herrera ang Ehekutibo na gastusin ito sa pinakamaayos at mabi­­li­sang paraan upang maiwasan ang under­spending sa gobyerno.

“The ball is now in the executive department’s court on how to spend the funds in a fast but proper manner so the usual problem of under­spend­ing will be avoided,” ani Herrera.

Si Herrera, miyembro ng bicameral conference committee, ay nagpaala­ala sa ehekutibo na malaki pa sa pinirmahan ni Pangulong Duterte ang budget dahil may naiwan pang pera sa nakaraang 2019.

Aniya, dalawa ang budget ng gobyerno ngayon.

Ang una ay ‘yung General Appropriations Act for 2020, na nagkaka­halaga ng P4.1 trilyon at pangalawa ang hindi nagastos noong 2019 GAA na inaprobahan ng kongreso para magamit hangang sa katapusan ng 2020 sa pamamagitan ng Republic Act 11464.

“So if government were a car, it will start  the year with a full tank of gas plus a reserve tank from last year’s unused supply,” paliwanag ni Herrera.

“Under this circum­stances, what should it do? Step on the gas so it will have all its pistons running. The first half of this year is the make-up period for the last year’s late passage of the budget,” ayon sa kongresista.

Pero nagbabala siya na kailangang makatu­wiran ang paggastos ng pondo ng bayan.

“But haste should not lead to waste,” ani Herrera.

“Poor spending is as bad as underspending. It should not lead to panic spending where agencies, just to meet targets, will apply money on easy to spend projects that  register low in the public good,” aniya.

(GERRY BALDO)