MANILA, Philippines – From a slashed budget that it raised a howl over just last year, the Commission on Elections (Comelec) has come a long way – it will receive an additional P4.14 billion from the national government for the first ever expanded synchronized elections this year.
The amount will come from savings from the 2012 budget, the Department of Budget and Management (DBM) said in a statement on Monday, January 14.
This is on top of the P13.4-billion budget that both the DBM and Congress approved, said Comelec spokesperson James Jimenez in an interview with Rappler.
The Comelec almost didn't get this budget. In 2012, the Comelec was supposed to get only P8.4 billion. The budget slash prompted chairman Sixto Brillantes Jr to threaten to resign. President Benigno Aquino III himself had to mediate, saying he was willing to reconsider the Comelec's original budget. Thus, the P13.4 billion.
For the first time this year, the Philippines will hold elections for regional posts in the Autonomous Region in Muslim Mindanao (ARMM) simultaneously with the national and local elections. The Comelec will also need to recover some costs related to its purchase of precinct count optical scan (PCOS) machines, worth P1.8 billion in all.
Simply insufficient
The initial P13.4-B was simply insufficient, Jimenez explained.
“There were a lot of preparatory expenses – training, earlier procurement – that would not be covered by the P13-B, because from the P13-B, we would get the expenses for the actual conduct of the elections. That's why it was not enough,” Jimenez said in a mix of English and Filipino.
Budget Secretary Florencio Abad said the additional funds will ensure that the Comelec accomplishes its tasks “according to schedule and with utmost efficiency.”
Abad said the P4.14 billion should solely be for election-related activities, such as the following:
P1.54-B for the actual elections
P755.08-M to support activities related to the purchase of precinct count optical scan or PCOS machines, such as the development of collateral, software support and maintenance, and traning and seminar expenses
P100.9-M to support overseas absentee voting requirements