Tiangco confirms P80-M allotment per lawmaker

MANILA, Philippines – A senior member of the House of Representatives confirmed reports yesterday that the incoming administration has allotted P80 million for each lawmaker intended for the implementation of projects.

“There are instructions for us to submit a list of our projects worth P80 million so these will be included in the proposed 2017 national budget,” said re-elected Navotas Rep. Tobias Tiangco of the United Nationalist Alliance, in an interview on dzBB.

“I have already submitted my list about two weeks ago. First was the list for soft projects and the hard projects come later,” Tiangco told anchor Rowena Salvacion.

He refused to identify the list as “pork barrel” though, insisting that being members of the bicameral Congress, they are merely exercising “their power of the purse” as provided for in the 1987 Constitution.

He noted that such “line item budgeting is always transparent.”

“That is the role of Congress in the budget deliberations, to leave something aside for lawmakers’ constituents. You cannot remove that from congressmen who also provide for their constituents,” he explained. 

Tiangco is reportedly eyeing the House minority post by way of a token run at the speakership in the 17th Congress.

At the same time, he confirmed reports that pork barrel allocations, officially the priority development assistance fund (PDAF), have been increased by P10 million, or P80 million a year for each of the 290 congressmen.

Not ‘pork’

“Call it by any other name except ‘pork,’ but members of the House – neophyte or old-timers alike – will still be entitled to their usual district allocations,” prospective Speaker Pantaleon Alvarez said. 

“Congressmen will be allowed to propose projects needed in their districts so it can be included in line budgeting,” the Davao del Norte congressman said.

“We just want to make sure that there will no more lump sums for lawmakers, as the Supreme Court ruled,” he added.

 The new House leadership does not intend to violate the November 2014 ruling against lump sum allocations, especially insertions after the annual national budget is passed, he said.

 While Alvarez raised doubts if Budget Secretary Benjamin Diokno is willing to give House members their pork barrel allocations, he said Diokno has agreed with him that lawmakers can indeed propose projects.

 The budget chief was quoted as saying that Filipinos and the public in general have to understand and recognize the fact that while the legislators’ primary mandate is lawmaking, “these politicians still have a responsibility in their respective districts or their constituencies.”

Unlike in previous practices under the pork barrel system, he explained that allocations cannot be changed anymore and every proposal will be evaluated and studied before being included in the national budget.

The Department of Budget and Management is set to submit to the House a proposed P3.3-trillion national budget for 2017.

Project proposals of congressmen or senators will be funded under the soon-to-be-submitted national budget.

“This is where the proposals of lawmakers will be itemized for inclusion in the proposed national budget,” Alvarez said.

In ruling against lump sum allocations, the High Court has prohibited lawmakers “to intervene, assume or participate in any of the various post-enactment stages of the budget execution.”

House insiders revealed neophyte lawmakers have been told to submit to the appropriations committee a list of their projects – P50 million for hard projects like roads and P30 million for soft projects like scholarships and hospitalization, among others.