JV Ejercito secures additional funding for railway projects, specialty healthcare centers
November 25, 2022
Through Senator Joseph Victor “JV” Ejercito’s
proposed amendments to the 2023 national budget, the Senate is set to restore
funding that was removed from two of the country’s biggest railway projects and
increase allocations for the expansion of specialty healthcare centers in key
regions.
With this move, the P40-billion slashed from
the proposed budget of the North-South Commuter Railway Project will be
restored, while the P10-billion funding removed from the first phase of the
Metro Manila Subway Project will be reinstated.
“Metro Manila's public transportation system
was recently ranked among the world's worst. This is the reason why I fought to
restore the budgets of the North-South Commuter Railways and the Metro Manila
Subway Project,” he said.
“This will not only be of convenience for all
Filipino commuters but also a key driver for economic growth and development,”
he added.
At the same time, Ejercito, the principal
sponsor of the Universal Healthcare Law,
clinched P2.2 billion in additional funding for the Department of Health
to expand its specialty healthcare centers.
This budget hike is expected to cover
specialty healthcare centers located at the Mariano Marcos Memorial Hospital
and Medical Center, Baguio General Hospital and Medical Center, Batangas
Medical Center, Bicol Regional Hospital and Medical Center, Bicol Medical
Center, Western Visayas Medical Center, Vicente Sotto Memorial Medical Center,
Eastern Visayas Medical Center, Northern Mindanao Medical Center, and Southern
Philippines Medical Center.
As the sponsor of the Department of Migrant
Worker’s proposed budget, Ejercito previously secured P1.115 billion in
additional funding for the agency, around half of which will be used to fund
the personnel, facilities, equipment, and maintenance expenses of the OFW
Hospital in Pampanga.
The other half will be allocated for the
Overseas Employment and Welfare Program and other operational expenses.
Moreover, Ejercito sought to add P10 billion
to the budget of the Armed Forces of the Philippines (AFP) to support projects
under Horizon 2 of its ongoing modernization program.
In a previous statement, he said the AFP
modernization program will be crucial in deterring China’s aggression in the
West Philippine Sea.
