Senator Pia S. Cayetano urged government’s finance and economic managers to align policy goals with resources that truly improve people’s lives during the Development Budget Coordination Committee briefing at the Senate. Drawing from her experience as Vice Chair of Finance for seven years, she pushed for stricter discipline in budgeting and clearer priorities across sectors.
Cayetano stressed the need for consistent standards and stronger absorptive capacity in agencies so projects are actually delivered. She cited, for example, the budget for classroom construction – lodged under the Department of Education but implemented by the Department of Public Works and Highways – as well as the attrition of college students given the decrease in the Tertiary Education Subsidy of the Commission on Higher Education.