MANILA, Philippines -- Congressmen want to meddle in the use not only of P5 billion in school building funds this year but also of tens of billions more in money for roads, bridges and other infrastructure.
They want a say in these projects despite a World Bank report accusing politicians, particularly lawmakers, of allegedly participating in bid manipulation in exchange for bribes and kickbacks.
The Senate-House conference committee on the 2009 budget, co-chaired by Sen. Edgardo Angara and Quirino Rep. Junie Cua, inserted a special provision in the proposed budget law allowing House members to meddle in the use of infrastructure funds of the Department of Public Works and Highways, which has a budget of P130 billion for this year.
This is separate from the special provision giving congressmen a say in the use of school building funds of the Department of Education.
Under the proposed budget law, the DPWH secretary may authorize local government units with construction capability to undertake infrastructure projects worth not more than P50 million.
If a project is worth more than P50 million, the authority should come from President Arroyo.
However, before a project can be given to an LGU, the representative of the district where the infrastructure is located must have to be consulted.
The special provision inserted by the Angara-Cua committee reads: “In both cases, prior consultation shall be made with the representative of the district concerned.”
This means that both the DPWH secretary and the President would be required to consult the concerned House member before they can allow an LGU to build a road or a bridge by administration.
While the special provision in the use of DPWH funds requires “consultation,” the proviso in the use of classroom building money requires the “concurrence” of the concerned congressman or congresswoman.
The proviso reads: “Provided, that upon concurrence of the representative of the district concerned, local government units with construction capability may be allowed to undertake the construction of school buildings within their locality.”
The World Bank has found politicians to be involved in the rigging of bidding for infrastructure projects.
According to its report, politicians support contractors who give them the biggest bribes, commissions or kickbacks. They then make sure that their favored contractors win in rigged biddings.
Many House members are believed to be meddling in and profiting from school building construction and other infrastructure projects. The inserted special provisions will make such intervention official and legal.
Reached for comment earlier on the provision on classroom building, Eastern Samar Gov. Ben Evardone, a former journalist, has criticized it, saying it would “politicize” the construction of additional classrooms throughout the country and especially in poor provinces like his.
“This means that LGUs with equipment to construct classrooms won’t be given the privilege to do so without the approval of their congressman or congresswoman,” he said.
“If the governor or mayor is a political enemy of the congressman or congresswomen, that approval will be denied and school building contracts will be given to private contractors,” he said.
House members will give their approval only to mayors loyal to them or who promise to support them, he said.
“This special provision was inserted clearly in aid of congressmen’s reelection next year,” he stressed. He chided senators for agreeing to the provision.
Evardone pointed out that besides politicizing the school building program, the provision deprives the government and taxpayers of an opportunity to obtain value for money.
He said LGUs with enough equipment could build classrooms at a far lower cost that it would take a private contractor to do the job.
“They can source supplies from stores in their own towns, they can use personnel in their own engineering offices. LGUs will not make profits unlike private contractors,” he said.
Evardone, who is an officer of the Union of Local Authorities of the Philippines, said they would ask the President to veto the special provision and similar insertions in the budget.
The 2009 budget is now in the process of being printed before it is sent to the President for her signature.
The House began printing the document a week ago after Angara’s staff finished hiding P4.6 billion in senators’ “pork” in the budget. They did it in three days at Room 13 of Mitra building at the Batasan compound in Quezon City.
All senators, except Sen. Panfilo Lacson, have an annual allocation of P200 million each in pork barrel funds. Lacson makes sure his allotment is deducted from the national budget. Thus, the total amount of “pork” for 23 senators comes up to P4.6 billion.