Good Gov Initiatives Bolstered in 2015 GAA; Abad: Budget Boost to Strengthen Public Institutions, LGUs

To protect the general interest of its citizens, the National Government has increased funding for agencies that reinforce the government thrust for reforms, as well as for programs that strengthen public institutions and local governments.

Department of Budget and Management (DBM) Secretary Florencio “Butch” Abad said, “Good governance has been at the core of everything we’ve done in the past few years. As such, the 2015 National Budget prioritizes funding of agencies and programs that push the principles of participation, transparency, and accountability.”

In support of the Administration’s anti-corruption drive and to strengthen the integrity of public institutions, the Office of the Ombudsman received a budget of P550 million—up from P529 million in 2014—for corruption deterrence services, including investigation, fact-finding, and prosecution. In addition, the Sandiganbayan was allocated P287 million for the adjudication of graft and corruption cases, slightly higher as compared to their 2014 budget of P283 million.

As part of the Administration’s good governance push (especially with targeted frontline services), the National Bureau of Investigation (NBI) was allocated P1.1 billion, up from P978 million in 2014. Of this amount, P193 million will be set aside for the processing of NBI clearance documents. On the other hand, the Department of Foreign Affairs (DFA) was allocated P10 billion for the provision of diplomatic and consular services—including the processing and issuance of 3.2 million e-passports—up from P9.2 billion in 2014.

Meanwhile, the National Government will sustain efforts to simplify business transactions in the country with the Business Permits and Licensing System (BPLS). To this end, the Department of Trade and Industry (DTI) received P9 million to raise the number of local government units (LGUs) compliant with the BPLS to 1,500.

Another flagship initiative that received additional funding was the LGU Capacity Development Program of the Department of the Interior and Local Government (DILG). This program—which was allotted P3.2 billion, up from P2.8 billion in the previous year—aims to improve the capacity and performance of LGUs, and assists them in implementing priority high-impact projects.

Part of this program includes support for the implementation of the Seal of Good Local Governance (previously the Seal of Good Housekeeping), the Local Government Performance Management System (LGPMS), and the Performance Challenge Fund. In particular, the Performance Challenge Fund serves as a strong incentive to LGUs to perform well so as to achieve their objectives for their constituents.

Lastly, the National Government has released P20.9 billion to various agencies for the implementation of 14,300 Bottom-up Budgeting (BuB) projects in cities and municipalities nationwide to empower communities and strengthen local governments.

Abad said, “Programs such as these need strong budgetary support so that the changes they effect in governance and service delivery can be institutionalized beyond the current administration. Our ultimate goal is a government that does everything in its power to extend to every Filipino the fruits of our economic growth.”