CAGAYAN de Oro 2nd District Rep. Rufus B. Rodriguez is proposing to increase the budget of the Department of Foreign Affairs for next year by P5 billion, from P27.4 billion to P32.4 billion.
He made the proposal during Tuesday’s hearing by the House of Representatives committee on appropriations on DFA’s 2025 budget.
Rodriguez today said he would present his suggestion when the House considers the DFA outlay in plenary session.
He said he wants the DFA to use part of the P5-billion increase, if approved, for work related to the defense of the nation’s territorial integrity and sovereignty over the West Philippine Sea in light of China’s increasingly aggressive activities in the disputed islands and waters that are inside Philippine territory.
He said the additional funds could also be used to help overseas Filipino workers and other Filipinos abroad who are in distress.
He said the DFA and labor agencies should have more assistance funds for OFWs, especially those in the Middle East and other countries and regions facing security issues.
The Mindanao lawmaker thanked the DFA and Secretary Enrique Manalo for their “robust insistence of our sovereign rights in the West Philippine Sea and in our 200-mile exclusive economic zone under the 1982 United Nations Convention on the Law of the Sea.”
He likewise thanked President Ferdinand “Bongbong” Marcos Jr. for his vocal assertion of the country’s rights in the contested areas and for strengthening its military alliance with the United States, Japan, Canada, Australia, and other allies.
Rodriguez said the DFA is pursuing similar military cooperation arrangements with Germany and France.
“These agreements with like-minded nations will deter China from intruding and violating our sovereign rights over the WPS, under UNCLOS and the International Arbitral Award won by the Philippines on July 12, 2016,” he said.
He likewise praised DFA personnel for their efforts to help Filipinos needing legal, repatriation and work-related assistance.
During Tuesday’s hearing, Rodriguez raised some concerns of OFWs and foreign service officers stationed abroad, including the need to allocate additional funding for different Philippine embassies for Independence Day celebrations, business and trade events, and other important cultural activities.
He also proposed the grant of an additional allowance for children of foreign service officers serving abroad.
The DFA committed to consider the Mindanao lawmaker’s suggestions.
