Duterte signs 2017 record 3.35 trillion peso budget into law

Manila

PHILIPPINE President Rodrigo Duterte signed 2017's record budget into law on Thursday, the first spending measure under his administration which he described as a response to the public's "clamour for change".

Mr Duterte, who won the presidential election in May by a huge margin on pledges of wiping out crime and illegal drugs, has vowed to prioritise infrastructure spending to help lift long-term economic growth and address poverty.