[Workers Assess Noynoy Series] Down by 3.1% in 2012 budget , Social services not a priority under Aquino – KMU

Labor center Kilusang Mayo Uno denounced the further reduction of the budget alloted to social services under Pres. Aquino’s 2012 national budget, saying it highlights the fact that the social services are not a priority for the current government.

According to the group, last year’s 34.1% share was insufficient in addressing the people’s needs. More public hospitals were shut down if not privatized. Budget cuts on state colleges and universities resulted in higher fees for incoming students.

On his 2nd national budget deliberations, President Aquino carried on with the trend by further reducing the budget for social services to 31%.

Though the proposed national budget for 2012 increased to P1.816 trillion from P1.645 trillion, the additions were not made to subsidize state-owned schools, universities and hospitals and other public service institutions.

“The improvement and expansion of social services such as health and education are clearly not a priority of the Aquino government. It is merely continuing the state’s abandonment of its responsibility to subsidize social services under the Gloria Arroyo government,” said Lito Ustarez, KMU vice-chairperson.

“The Aquino government likes to project itself as pro-people, yet it fails in the most basic task of a pro-people government: that of prioritizing social services. The national budget is the most concrete proof of the government’s priorities, and it is clearly not prioritizing social services,” he added.

Inclusion of CCT hit

KMU also condemned the revelation made by budget secretary Florencio Abad that 31% of the proposed 2012 allocation for social services already include the budget for the Pantawid Pamilyang Pilipino program, the backbone of the Conditional Cash Transfer program, saying this may imply that the budget for the social services is even smaller than this year’s P521.4 billion.

“Instead of increasing subsidies for social services, the Aquino regime is bent on giving out meager dole-outs to poor families. These dole-outs will not even allow poor families to avail of privately-provided social services which will take the place of state-provided ones,” Ustarez said.

“The inclusion of the CCT in the budget for social services is a deceitful sleight-of-hand to make it appear that subsidy for social services has been increased. It is also a cruel anti-people measure, which gives the people less than what we deserve to get from the government,” he added.