MANILA, Philippines — Malacañang on Monday denied the claim of Davao City First District Rep. Paolo Duterte that Davao City has not received support from the national government under the administration of President Ferdinand Marcos Jr..
Palace Press Officer Claire Castro, citing records from the Department of Budget and Management, said Davao City received at least P7.856 billion in national government support for programs and projects.
Castro said the claim that Davao City had “zero budget” for the past four years was false.
She added that Davao City remains one of the local government units supported by the administration.
According to the Department of Budget and Management, the amount included the city’s national tax allotment, which consists of the constitutionally mandated 40 percent share of national taxes automatically released to local government units.
The amount also covered special shares, fire code fees, and regular operating requirements.
The DBM said P7.440 billion of the total funding came from national government agency programs and projects, including farm-to-market roads, health facilities, justice and civil defense facilities, Professional Regulation Commission infrastructure, and infrastructure projects of the Department of Public Works and Highways.
The funding also included support for basic education facilities, the Department of Social Welfare and Development Learning Institute, and the Davao Public Transport Modernization Project.
An additional P146.21 million came from the Local Government Support Fund for programs such as Financial Assistance to LGUs, the Barangay Development Program, and the Green, Green, Green Program.
Castro said Malacañang would leave it to the National Bureau of Investigation and the Philippine National Police to investigate and determine whether charges should be filed over Duterte’s statements.
Last week, Duterte claimed in a statement that Davao City “has been zero budget for four years now.”
