The tandem of Senator Panfilo “Ping” Lacson and Senate President Vicente “Tito” Sotto III vowed to push for the realization of the Iloilo-Guimaras Bridge once elected as president and vice president, respectively, in the upcoming May elections.
Sotto said their proposed “Budget Reform Advocacy for Village Empowerment (BRAVE)” program would help expedite the implementation of the long overdue bridge project.
The BRAVE program is a bottom-up budgeting scheme that aims to empower local government units (LGUs) in provinces, cities, towns, and barangays by giving them “much-needed funding for their key development projects.”
“Sa bottom-up budgeting na tinatawag, zero ang umpisa at iaakyat mo, kung ano ang pangangailangan, masosolve natin ‘yan, kagaya ng tulay na ‘yan,” said Sotto.
“Ang nangyayari ngayon sa baba, may disconnect. Eh dapat d’yan nanggagaling sa baba ‘yan. Imbes na ganun, ang programa namin, dapat mag umpisa sa barangay. Through the Barangay Development Council, ano ang kailangan niyo? Andun na ‘yung mga tulay, kalsada – aakyat ngayon yan sa Municipal Development Council. Alam nila kung ano pangangailangan ng munisipyo. Then aakyat sa district. Kaya ‘yung mga congressmen pwede na sila doon sa mga projects nila na kailangan,” he continued.
From there, it will be forwarded to the National Development Council that in return will endorse the NEP, through Department of Budget and Management and Department of Finance, for the approval of President before it will be submitted to Congress.
The Iloilo-Guimaras Bridge is one section of the proposed Panay-Guimaras-Negros (PGN) Bridge with a total length of 32 kilometers.IMT
