EDITORIAL - A showcase of transparency

A plunder case has been filed and there are calls for the resignation of officials behind the Disbursement Acceleration Program after its key provisions were declared unconstitutional by the Supreme Court.

At the same time, three senators and their aides are being held without bail in connection with the Priority Development Assistance Fund, the official name of the congressional pork barrel. Both the PDAF and DAP have been scrapped, but Congress remains in charge of deliberating on the annual national budget proposed by Malacañang.

If the executive and legislative branches want to avoid a repeat of the scandals that have led to criminal indictments, with plunder and graft cases expected to be filed against many more officials, the next General Appropriations Act should be a showcase of the avowed resolve of the daang matuwid administration to fight corruption, promote transparency and deliver good government.

Under a new budgeting system, the executive and legislative branches will bow to the Supreme Court and end the broad discretion that lawmakers used to exercise in the utilization of public funds allotted to them after the approval of the GAA.

The Constitution, however, vests the power of the purse in the House of Representatives, with Senate concurrence. Lawmakers will still have a say in the selection of projects for state funding, although the recommendations will be made during the budget deliberations instead of after the enactment of the GAA. While lawmakers can be expected to inject personal or partisan elements in their earmarked projects, their proposals must fall within priorities set by the executive. Malacañang, for its part, can no longer use impounded “savings” from executive offices to speed up the implementation of projects and programs selected at the discretion of the executive.

Those drawing up the national budget for 2015 should see to it that there will be effective mechanisms for the public to scrutinize projects for funding and to monitor the implementation. Information technology allows transparency in project proposals, fund releases and utilization.

The 2015 GAA will test the commitment of administration officials and lawmakers to end the abuse of discretion in the utilization of public funds. They should not add to public disenchantment over the mishandling of people’s money.