President Benigno S. Aquino III on Monday signed into law Republic Act 10147, the P1.645-
trillion General Appropriations Act for 2011 which is actually his first financial blueprint that
will enable the national government to address the urgent needs of the marginalized sector of
society.
In a speech after the signing at Malacanang’s Rizal Hall, the Chief Executive said this is the
first time in 11 years that the national budget was signed on time.
Of the total budget, the social services sector got the lion’s share at 34.1 percent, a 16.8
percent hike from its 2010 budget, the highest increase among all sectors. It includes a
P21-billion allocation for the conditional cash transfer program and P1.2 billion in unaudited
intelligence funds.
The President pointed out that the early signing of the budget “will enable us to address
the urgent needs of our people in a timely manner. Such needs include building more rural
health units and providing immunization for children. This also allows us to construct new
classrooms and hire new teachers, as promised to the Filipino people.”
Present during the budget signing ceremony were Senate President Juan Ponce Enrile,
House Speaker Feliciano Belmonte Jr., Congress committee leaders and members of the
Cabinet.