The President submitted the FY2021 Proposed National Budget at a time of great uncertainty. The economy is in recession, unemployment rate is up to about 10% in the July 2020 Labor Force Survey, involuntary hunger is on the rise2, and the public health threat of the COVID-19 pandemic looms large. Recognizing the heavy blow delivered by the pandemic, the President declared in the FY 2021 Budget Message that the P4.5 trillion National Expenditure Program will sustain government efforts to effectively respond to and recover from the crisis. The 2021 budget will be re-oriented towards containing the spread of COVID-19 and mitigating its effects, and restarting the economy to create jobs and attract investments without losing sight of fundamental priorities—poverty alleviation, investments in health and education, and economic stabilization.
