Day: November 29, 2021

Rijo Presbot: “Public policies arise from local priorities”

The Director of the Budget Office held a meeting with representatives of the Citizen Forum. As a way to bring the budget closer to civil society and promote more participatory management, the General Directorate of the Budget Office held a Citizen Meeting with the Social Policy Committee of the Citizen Forum social movement. The meeting, attended by more than 30 representatives from different organizations, was led by the Director General of the Budget Office, José Rijo Presbot, and moderated by Juan Luis Corporán, Technical Deputy Director of Ciudad Alternativa. Rijo Presbot presented the group with the new structure of the 2022 General State Budget Bill and the progress made in the formulation and execution of the current General State Budget, especially regarding housing, territorial development, health, education, and social security. In his presentation, he emphasized that the General Directorate of the Budget Office is giving the budget a new vision, directly linking it to the goals, results, and needs of the population. “We have identified priorities within each of the general objectives of the National Development Strategy. For example, 31 billion pesos were allocated for efficient and targeted public administration, and 223 billion pesos for quality education for all. We are currently assessing each general objective to determine what can be achieved with these resources,” Rijo emphasized. Territorial Cohesion During the Citizen Meeting, the topic of territoriality within the Budget was addressed, and Rijo highlighted that, “regarding territorial cohesion, there is a concept stemming from the Government of Change program, led by the President, and the design of public policies with the clear understanding that investment must be made where people live. Territory is fundamental.” In this regard, he emphasized the connection between the Budget, investment projects, and the demands addressed that have emerged from the provincial and municipal development councils. “It is important to develop a strategic plan for localities so that public policies directed toward those municipalities can then be developed from there,” the Budget Minister stressed. Over RD$1,446 billion allocated solely for housing. When asked about social housing construction, Rijo Presbot affirmed that this is a priority issue. “For next year, in the new Ministry of Housing and Construction, we have an allocation of over 6 billion pesos exclusively for housing.” He also stated that 15,000 homes have been built through the “Dominicana se Construye” (Dominican Republic Builds) program and highlighted the government's commitment to helping those who aspire to buy a home by contributing to a percentage of the interest rate. Citizen Budget. Rijo Presbot took advantage of the meeting to discuss initiatives aimed at making the General State Budget (PGE) more accessible to the public. “We have just published the Citizen Budget, a more streamlined and simplified version of the PGE Bill,” he said, encouraging the representatives of the Social Policy Committee to offer any suggestions. For his part, Aris Balbuena, Budget Programs Specialist at DIGEPRES, pointed out that the goal is to strengthen social oversight, transparency, and citizen participation. “As part of this commitment, we schedule these Citizen Meetings systematically and interactively to enrich our work through exchange,” he added. Also participating in this Citizen Meeting were Jenny Torres, Guadalupe Valdez, Pepe Castro, Ricardo González, Gregory Sena, Patricia Gómez, Virginia Pastor, Eulalia Jiménez, Fabián Mejía, and other representatives from the Social Policy Roundtable. The Citizen Forum brings together approximately 400 organizations that address social issues through committees and working groups.