Metro Manila (CNN Philippines, December 13) – The congressmen are allegedly at it again – making last-minute ‘pork barrel’ insertions amounting to at least ₱16 billion in the proposed 2020 national budget, according to Senator Panfilo “Ping” Lacson.
Lacson said he discovered the purported allocations of his House colleagues a day before the bicameral conference of senators and congressmen ratified the report on the proposed ₱4.1-trillion national budget for 2020 Wednesday. The bicameral committee reconciled the Senate and House versions of the proposed appropriations law for next year.
“Sa halip ayusin namin ang pagbalangkas ng national budget, kanya-kanyang singitan ng kanya-kanyang personal interest. Kung sino may kilalang contractor, doon sila nagpapagawa,” Lacson said.
[Translation: Instead of ironing out the draft of the national budget, they individually inserted their personal interests. A contractor [who knows a congressman] will win the project.]
Lacson lamented this move made at the last minute, which does not give senators enough time to scrutinize new insertions.
“Malinaw na may abuse of discretion dito.” [It is clear that there is an abuse of discretion here.]
Lacson then raised his concerns over some projects, which are either vague or have no description or detail at all.
Among them – the ₱50-million asphalt overlay project in Catbalogan City, Samar and ₱60-million worth of flood projects in different areas, said Lacson, who also previously vowed to fight until his last breath the pork barrel, which is a metaphor for local funds set aside for pet projects of lawmakers.
The legislator asked: “Ang question, pare-pareho ba configuration ng ilog? Pare pareho ba dapat ayusin sa ilog o kung anumang creek, ilog ang if-flood control?”
[Translation: The question is, are the configurations of rivers one and the same? Do creeks and rivers which are under the flood control projects have similar problem areas?]
The outspoken ‘pork’ critic said projects with no specifics may be classified as a violation of the Supreme Court decision that declared pork barrel unconstitutional.
Lacson also said his sources from the House of Representatives told him that insertions were made to recover expenses incurred during the 2019 elections.
Meanwhile, the Makabayan bloc is challenging House leaders to show proof refuting senator Lacson’s claim, adding that the alleged allocations did not surprise them anymore.
“Hinahamon namin ang liderato na maging transparent kayo. Ipakita ninyo yung sinasabi ni Lacson, or disprove ninyo ang sinasabi ni Senator Lacson,” ACT Teachers Party-list France Castro said in a briefing Thursday.
[Translation: We are challenging the House leaders to be transparent. Disprove Senator Lacson’s claim.]
Bayan Muna Party-List Rep. Carlos Zarate said, “Walang pagkakaiba ito sa nangyari last year na nagkakaroon pa rin ng kontrobersya dahil sa sinasabing insertions noong mga lump sums na nakatago lang sa general description na flood control, pero kung saan ito, kanino mapupunta ito.”
[Translation: This is not different from what happened last year during which a controversy surfaced due to said lump sum insertions which were hidden in the general description as a flood control project, but where they will go or who their beneficiaries will be, [are not included.]]
Zarate said they were also not aware of the new allocations as they were given a copy of the House 2020’s version of the budget 10 minutes before the bicameral committee’s ratification of the 2020 appropriations bill.
Déjà vu?
Just like early this year, the Senate plans to send the budget bill to President Rodrigo Duterte with reservations-– or an attached list of questionable budget insertions.
“We will leave it to the discretion of President again tulad nung last time (like the last time),” according to Senate President Tito Sotto III.
The Malacañang, for its part, made the assurance Thursday that Duterte will again veto certain provisions in the budget that run counter to the Constitution.
“[They] will be vetoed by the President, there is no change in that policy,” Palace spokesman Salvador Panelo said in a message to reporters.
The President vetoed ₱95.3 billion worth of infrastructure funds in April of this year.
It was Lacson who revealed last year that there were alleged anomalous insertions in the P3.757-trillion 2019 budget. The bickering in the Congress at the time caused a four-month delay in the passage of the fiscal plan. This forced the government to operate on a reenacted budget from January to April this year. The bill passage postponement was responsible for the country’s economic losses in the first quarter of this year.
To avoid a reenacted budget, which leaves new and continuing projects unfunded, Duterte must sign a new budget bill on or before the year ends.
