BUDGET Chief Wendel Avisado assures the public that the national government supports local government units by allowing them to implement programs and services that would help address the decades-long communist insurgency in the countryside. Through a P16.4B budget for the Barangay Development Program under the National Task Force to End Local Communist Armed Conflict (NTF -ELCAC), the national government will fund anti-insurgency programs of hundreds of barangays.
“With an allotted 16.4-billion-peso budget for the year 2021, the anti-insurgency campaign shall fund 822 barangays which will each get 20 million pesos,” said Avisado.
The DBM chief said that this initiative demonstrates the Duterte Administration’s strong commitment to support barangays experiencing local communist armed conflict. He said that it is important to support and empower barangays as they are the first responders to the people’s needs, citing the lack of services, programs and support at the grassroots level lie at the root of communist insurgency.
“Kaya mahalaga na patuloy nating pinapalakas ang kakayahan ng ating mga barangay upang sila ay makapagbigay ng agaran at epektibong tulong sa kanilang mga nasasakupan. Kung hindi natin nagagawa ito, nawawalan ng pag-asa at tiwala ang mga mamamayan sa kanilang gobyerno kaya madali na silang naaakit ng mga mapanirang ideolohiya” Avisado added.
Secretary Avisado also assured that the DBM will provide swift and immediate action for the special budget requests of the barangays involved under the Barangay Development Program of the NTF-ELCAC.
“Sinisigurado ko din po sa inyo na magiging mabilis ang aksyon namin sa inyong mga proposals at requests” he said.
The decades-long communist insurgency remains a big concern for many barangays across the country. This prompted the issuance of Executive Order No. 70, s. 2018, which directed the adoption of a National Peace Framework.
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