NEDA budget's approval deferred
In a hearing Tuesday, November 8, 2004, the Senate Finance Subcommittee G, chaired by Senator Manuel A. Roxas II, deferred approval of the Proposed Year 2005 Budget of the FY 2005 budget of the Office of the Director General (ODG) of the National Economic and Development Authority (NEDA), or the NEDA proper (or mother agency), pending resolution of issues raised by Senator Richard Gordon. In particular, Senator Gordon sought clarification on NEDA's role in the processing and approval of the Subic Bay Port Development Project. He expressed concern on the appropriateness of the investment, which involves a loan by the National Government from the Japan Bank for International Cooperation amounting to 16.45 billion Yen, when at the time he was chair of the Subic Bay Metropolitan Authority (SBMA), the SBMA had already bid out to the private sector the construction of the ports, at no cost to the Government.
According to Senator Roxas, NEDA should be able to submit, in writing, within the next few days the agency's responses to the issue raised, as well as to other possible concerns that are likely to be raised in the floor deliberations during the Plenary Session for the agency's budget. NEDA targets to provide the required documents by December 15.
The subcommittee also deferred approval of the proposed budget of the Philippine National Volunteers Service Coordination Agency (PNVSCA), but approved that of the National Statistical Coordination Board (NSCB), National Statistics Office (NSO), Philippine Institute for Development Studies (PIDS), Statistical Research and Training Center (SRTC), and the Tariff Commission (TC). The aforementioned institutions are all NEDA attached agencies.
The Plenary Session to discuss the NEDA budget, and that of other Executive agencies is expected to be held sometime in January of 2005.
(Providing technical support to NEDA officials, the author was in attendance during the hearing, and the previous day's briefing for Senator Roxas, as well as the Appropriations Committee hearings and Plenary Session floor deliberations in the House of Representatives for the NEDA budget and the Development Budget Coordination Committee/DBCC.)
According to Senator Roxas, NEDA should be able to submit, in writing, within the next few days the agency's responses to the issue raised, as well as to other possible concerns that are likely to be raised in the floor deliberations during the Plenary Session for the agency's budget. NEDA targets to provide the required documents by December 15.
The subcommittee also deferred approval of the proposed budget of the Philippine National Volunteers Service Coordination Agency (PNVSCA), but approved that of the National Statistical Coordination Board (NSCB), National Statistics Office (NSO), Philippine Institute for Development Studies (PIDS), Statistical Research and Training Center (SRTC), and the Tariff Commission (TC). The aforementioned institutions are all NEDA attached agencies.
The Plenary Session to discuss the NEDA budget, and that of other Executive agencies is expected to be held sometime in January of 2005.
(Providing technical support to NEDA officials, the author was in attendance during the hearing, and the previous day's briefing for Senator Roxas, as well as the Appropriations Committee hearings and Plenary Session floor deliberations in the House of Representatives for the NEDA budget and the Development Budget Coordination Committee/DBCC.)
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