Hello and welcome to the details of Philippine lower house backs 2024 budget with South China Sea funding and now with the details
Nevin Al Sukari - Sana'a - A China Coast Guard ship is seen from a Philippine fishing boat at the disputed Scarborough Shoal. The Philippines’ lower chamber of congress has approved the proposed 5.768 trillion pesos national budget for 2024, including increased funding for security efforts in the South China Sea. — Reuters file pic
MANILA, Sept 28 — The Philippines’ lower chamber of congress has approved the proposed 5.768 trillion pesos (RM477 billion) national budget for 2024, including increased funding for security efforts in the South China Sea.
The 2024 budget proposal of President Ferdinand Marcos Jr’s administration, approved late yesterday, is 9.5 per cent higher than this year’s spending programme totalling 5.267 trillion pesos. The Senate, due to adjourn between September 30 and November 5, has yet to pass its version of the budget bill.
House members agreed to reallocate 650 million pesos of proposed “confidential and intelligence funds” to efforts to enhance the surveillance capabilities of the coastguard and the fisheries bureau in the South China Sea.
The move came as tensions between Manila and Beijing flared once again this week, after the discovery of a floating barrier installed by China’s coastguard near the disputed Scarborough Shoal, which Philippine coastguard personnel said they removed. China has disputed the Philippines’ version of events.
Funding support for the National Intelligence Coordinating Agency and National Security Council will also increase.
The reallocated portion of the budget came from proposed confidential and intelligence funds originally allotted for non-security departments, including the Vice President’s office and the education ministry.
Vice President Sara Duterte, who is also the education minister and daughter of former President Rodrigo Duterte, has drawn criticism for her office’s request for intelligence funds amid accusations of a lack of transparency in spending.
House Speaker Ferdinand Martin Romualdez said agencies need to abide by the strict accounting and auditing rules governing the handling and release of such funds.
“The House was able to assess and evaluate the nature and use of these funds and correct any mix-ups and allay public concerns regarding this issue,” he said in a statement. — Reuters
These were the details of the news Philippine lower house backs 2024 budget with South China Sea funding for this day. We hope that we have succeeded by giving you the full details and information. To follow all our news, you can subscribe to the alerts system or to one of our different systems to provide you with all that is new.
It is also worth noting that the original news has been published and is available at Malay Mail and the editorial team at AlKhaleej Today has confirmed it and it has been modified, and it may have been completely transferred or quoted from it and you can read and follow this news from its main source.
