Chiz says budget
for Bangsamoro region depends on BBL approval
By Office of Senator Chiz
Escudero
June 24, 2015
PASAY CITY – Senator
Chiz Escudero said discussions on the spending package for the
implementation of the proposed Bangsamoro Basic Law (BBL) will be put
on hold until the measure is passed into law.
“Hangga’t wala pang BBL na
naipapasa, hindi ito pwede aksyunan,” Escudero said, referring to the
funding support that the national government plans to extend to the
proposed Bangsamoro region.
Escudero, chairman of the
Senate Committee on Finance, earlier disclosed that the planned
Bangsamoro government stands to receive at least P70 billion in the
first year of the BBL’s implementation.
He said the amount was just
a ballpark figure and was on top of the revenue income the Bangsamoro
government could generate should it begin imposing taxes and fees, and
exploring natural resources.
The senator previously vowed
to push for the line-item budgeting of the BBL funds to ensure
transparency and accountability into the spending of government funds.
Based on the computation of
the finance committee in the past, P25.2 billion of the P70 billion
will come from the Annual Block Grant; P7 billion from the Special
Development Fund; P1 billion from the Transition Fund; P12.6 billion
from the National Government Subsidy; P19.9 billion from the Internal
Revenue Allotment (IRA); P1.7 billion from the ARMM/Bangsamoro
collections; and a one-time P2.6 billion Normalization Fund.
