Explanation of Vote: House Bill No. 2454

Explanation of Vote: House Bill No. 2454

Rep. Eduardo Nonato N. Joson

1^st District of Nueva Ecija

November 5, 2007

Mr. Speaker I vote NO to HB 2454 or the General Appropriation Bill for the following reasons:

1. Noon isa sa mga battlecry ng oposisyon laban kay President Marcos ibasura ang PD 1177; ngayon paglipas ng tatlong (3) presidente, buhay na buhay pa rin ang PD 1177, baon pa rin tayo sa utang at sukdulang kahirapan.

2. Bukod sa PD 1177, ang mga plano,policy,patakaran at pamamaraan sa budget ay walang pagbabago sa nakaraang dalawampung (20) taon. Wala kahit isa mang problema natin ang nalutas ng budget.If we are going to consider the budget as a tool for development, it has not been able to solve or approximate the solution to the problems of poverty, unemployment, housing,quality education,poor health services,very poor infrastructure facilities and very very poor farmers or state of agriculture in our countryside where the majority of our poor people eke out a living. We do not even have a national economic master plan duly approved by congress. Maybe Mr. Speaker, we should begin with our own distinct development plan and said plan should be the basis of the national budget. It is about time that we really assert the power of the purse.

And lastly Mr. Speaker, change must begin now. Change in policies, change in ourselves and more importantly change in our views and perspectives. We must think out of the box. Matagal nang nakakahon sa kahirapan ang ating bayan. Kailangan ang bagong pananaw sa priorities at pump priming para tuluyan nating umunlad. Kaya ibasura ang PD 1177 nang umakma ito sa ating kakayahang magbayad or capacity to pay in relation to our gross domestic product,unahin ang mga economic infrastructures gaya ng irigasyon, job and business creation, labor intensive investments at economic zones, expansion of the retail trade and microenterprise credit system kaysa mere physical infrastructure at social services, unahin ang problema ng kahirapan, pagkain,trabaho at housing at higit sa lahat unahin ang magsasaka.

Thank you Mr. Speaker