BusinessWorld
May 26, 2021 | 12:33 am
THE GOVERNMENT will continue to prioritize the mass vaccination program in next year’s national budget. — PHILIPPINE STAR/ MICHAEL VARCAS
THE DEPARTMENT of Budget and Management (DBM) identified six priority areas for next year’s P5.024-trillion national budget, such as the continuing coronavirus vaccine rollout and increased support for local governments, citing the need for belt-tightening measures amid “very limited fiscal space.”
At the same time, the DBM ordered government agencies to identify savings from their unspent 2020 budgets to augment pandemic relief measures.
Budget Secretary Wendel E. Avisado on Monday issued National Budget Memorandum No. 140, which laid out key programs that will receive priority funding in the 2022 budget, namely coronavirus disease 2019 (COVID-19) vaccines and booster shots, assistance for “disadvantaged” local government units (LGUs), establishment of a virology center, national identification system, and programs for family planning and nutrition.