Department of Budget and Management (DBM) Secretary Amenah F. Pangandaman in a recent interview with Business World editors and reporters said the government will continue to implement interventions to address economic scarring brought by external pressures and the COVID-19 pandemic by ensuring necessary funding requirements for the social services sector.

Key items in the social services sector include education, culture, and manpower development. This also includes social security, welfare and employment, and subsidy to local government units.

Pangandaman pointed out that, similar to the 2023 national budget, the bulk of the Fiscal Year (FY) 2024 expenditure program will be allotted for the social services sector, in line with the President Ferdinand R. Marcos Jr. administration’s vow to invest in the Filipino people through major social and human capital development.

"The 2024 budget again assumes that we’re going to open up the economy. In 2023, that’s what we did: going back to school, bringing the students back to school. So that’s economic activity for all of us. The same way with the health sector," Pangandaman said.

“That’s education, health, and of course for human capital development. Laging on top po ‘yan. This is the social services sector. For 2023, it cornered 39% of our budget. More or less, hopefully we’ll have the same by 2024. Sana lang they (agencies) are able to utilize their budget. We’ll have to look at their utilization also. With that sector, it will prioritize education; manpower development, including training of our workforce; health sector; and cash assistance to our marginalized sector."

Pangandaman added that the DBM has asked the government agencies and offices to submit their budget proposals by 30 April 2023.

"By May 7, or a little about the second week of May, we’ll have our more or less estimated budget. Our priorities are the same as this year (2023). Of course, it’s aligned with our 8-Point Socioeconomic Agenda and the Philippine Development Plan," Pangandaman said.

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