By Liza Soriano
Senator Chiz Escudero said that he will focus on three sectors during the proposed ₱5.768 trillion 2024 General Appropriations Bill (GAB) once it is taken up at the plenary.
Escudero said that he would ensure that the national budget truly supports the needs of the people, focusing on local government units (LGUs), education, and agriculture.
Escudero’s three-point priority will be to bring back the concept of “parametric insurance” to facilitate the payment and release of funds to affected local governments in times of disasters; make sure payments are made to the State Colleges and Universities (SUCs) for the extra amount they spent in 2022 and 2023 in the implementation of the Universal Access to Quality Tertiary Education Act (UAQTEA); and craft a budget for the Department of Agriculture (DA) that will support the priority programs of the new secretary.
“I would like to bring back the parametric insurance in so far as providing insurance coverage to often calamity-stricken areas, particularly the eastern seaboard of the country,” Escudero said.
“Parametric insurance is based on how strong the typhoon signal was. Kung signal number 1 iyan, ganito lang ang bayad, signal number 2 ganito naman, etc. Total payout na ‘yun. Hindi na kailangan ang inspection at madaling mare-release ang pera,” he added.
As chairman of the Senate Committee on Higher, Technical and Vocational Education, Escudero said he is bound to correct the deficiencies “not only in the basic education sector but in the higher education sector, too.”
“Given that we have unpaid fees in the Free Tertiary Education Act to about 80 SUCs, we would seek to correct that in the 2024 budget,” Escudero said
(ai/mnm)
