Palace preparing budget for Pope visit

MANILA, Philippines - The government is now preparing the budget for the visit of Pope Francis in January, Malacañang said yesterday.

The pope’s visit budget goes with the proposed funding for the 2015 Asia-Pacific Economic Cooperation (APEC) summit and the rehabilitation of areas devastated by Typhoon Yolanda, Presidential Communications Operations Office Secretary Herminio Coloma Jr. said.

He said there is no final amount yet for the pope’s visit as the organizing committee is still scrutinizing budget proposals of various agencies.

He said the Department of Budget and Management (DBM) had already submitted P23.34-billion supplemental budget to Congress for key development initiatives, including that of Yolanda rehabilitation projects and the APEC summit.

Budget Secretary Florencio Abad is set to recommend to President Aquino to certify the measure as urgent.

Coloma said the funding would be used for venues for meetings, equipment rentals, and operations of the media center. 

Also starting December, there will be almost monthly ministerial meetings that will form part of the country’s APEC hosting as well as various events leading to the state leaders’ meeting.

“I believe that when the DBM submits those measures, those actions are in compliance or aligned with the President’s overall policy direction and guidance,” Coloma said.

Abad said the National Treasury had certified the availability of funds to support the projects, but such appropriations must be backed by legislation as provided by the law.

“With the proposed 2015 national budget already subject to Senate deliberations, we need the support of the House of Representatives to pass a supplemental appropriations bill to fund these projects,” Abad said.

 Of the P23.34-billion budget, P16.4 billion has been allotted for “new priority initiatives,” P9.5 billion for the government’s reconstruction and rehabilitation in areas hit by Yolanda and P1.44 billion for key projects for the APEC summit hosted by the country next year.

The supplemental budget will also cover liabilities arising from P1.85 billion in obligated infrastructure projects under the Department of Public Works and Highways (DPWH).

A total of P5.08 billion will be allotted to priority projects of various government agencies that were partially implemented or previously approved for implementation this year.

“Most of these projects have already been completed, are ongoing, or are urgently needed to sustain our socio-economic development. The passage of the proposed supplemental budget will allow us to allocate funds accordingly so we can complete these projects right away,” Abad said.

If approved by Congress, the 2014 Supplemental Appropriations will fund a number of priority projects, ranging from the rehabilitation of Light Rail Transit lines 1 and 2, to the construction of permanent housing for Yolanda victims.

P23-B budget questioned

Meanwhile, Bayan Muna Rep. Neri Colmenares questioned the P23-billion supplemental budget being proposed by the DBM.

“Why didn’t they include this in the 2015 budget so that it will undergo serious study and debate? This supplemental budget is like the insertion of DBM errata after the debates to avoid scrutiny,” Colmenares said.

He said he and his colleagues in the Makabayan bloc would scrutinize the proposed additional budget.

“We will seriously scrutinize the additional P5.08 billion for Priority Development Assistance Fund and the Disbursement Acceleration Program (DAP) projects, and the P1.44 billion for the APEC  summit,” he added. – Aurea Calica, Jess Diaz