Philippines’ Duterte Seeks to Boost Budget 10% to Combat Virus

By Claire Jiao

Philippine President Rodrigo Duterte is seeking to boost the budget for next year by almost 10% to sustain the nation’s efforts to fight the pandemic.

The president will ask Congress to approve a national budget of 4.5 trillion pesos ($91.6 billion), 9.9% more than this year’s, the Department of Budget said in a statement. The money would be used to improve the country’s healthcare systems, ensure food security, increase digital and infrastructure investments and help communities recover, it said. The proposed amount is equivalent to 21.8% of gross domestic product.

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