House panel approves P2.7-B OP budget

MANILA, Philippines – The House appropriations committee endorsed yesterday the proposed P2.7-billion 2013 budget for the Office of the President (OP) without asking even a single question in deference to President Aquino.

Executive Secretary Paquito Ochoa Jr. came to the hearing prepared to defend the OP budget, though he was late by about 30 minutes.

But before the “little president” could begin his budget presentation, Cebu Rep. Eduardo Gullas presented a motion to dispense with Ochoa’s defense and to immediately approve the budget for the President’s office.

“Following tradition, which calls for giving courtesy to a co-equal branch, I move that we forego the usual budget presentation and question-and-answer session and approve the OP budget,” Gullas said.

None of those who attended the hearing, including some allies of former President and now Pampanga Rep. Gloria Macapagal-Arroyo, objected.

Arroyo’s allies even manifested that they were for endorsing the proposed funding for Aquino’s office.

Ochoa thanked the members of the appropriations committee “for extending this courtesy and immediately approving the OP budget.”

The 2013 OP budget of P2.733 billion was P111 million higher than this year’s funding of P2.622 billion, with the bulk of the increase going to pay adjustments under the Salary Standardization Law.

The President’s office has slashed maintenance and other operating expenses (MOOE) by P77 million to P1.88 billion, from the current year’s P1.96 billion.

Ochoa said the President’s office, in proposing its own budget, was “guided by the principles of fiscal discipline by defining specific objectives and priorities in terms of projects and activities, efficiency by observing the best value for money in the allocation and use of resources, and transparency and accountability by assigning delivery units as cost centers.”

While consideration and approval of the OP budget took less than two minutes, Ochoa later faced members of the appropriations committee for nearly three hours defending the budget of the Department of the Interior and Local Government as its officer-in-charge.

“I am hopeful and anxious to be replaced by incoming Secretary Mar Roxas as soon as possible,” he told the committee.

He said he transmitted the President’s nomination of Roxas as DILG secretary to the Commission on Appointments on Monday.