Lawmakers blame DBM, Palace for P55-billion ‘pork barrel’

MANILA, Philippines — Congressmen yesterday blamed the Department of Budget and Management (DBM) and Malacañang for allegedly inserting at least P55 billion in pork barrel funds in the proposed P3.757-trillion 2019 national budget.

In a television interview, Rep. Antonio Tinio of party-list group Alliance of Concerned Teachers said Secretary Mark Villar of the Department of Public Works and Highways (DPWH), where the “pork” was embedded, has told lawmakers that the P55 billion was not included in the budget proposal his agency had submitted to the DBM.

“Secretary Villar informed us that the huge amount and the projects to be funded were not proposed by him. When the DBM and President Duterte presented the budget to Congress, the P55 billion was included,” Tinio said.

He said the DBM and Malacañang have to explain who proposed the inclusion of the amount in the budget for next year and who stood to benefit from it.

On Wednesday, Executive Secretary Salvador Medialdea was quoted as saying the P55 billion was part of the budget proposal the President submitted to Congress in July but denied it was pork barrel.

“That is not true. What was submitted was PRRD’s 2019 budget,” he said, referring to the  initials of President Duterte.

Medialdea was interviewed two days after he, Budget Secretary Benjamin Diokno, Finance Secretary Carlos Dominguez III and Socioeconomic Planning Secretary Ernesto Pernia met with leaders of the House of Representatives before the scheduled start of plenary debates on the budget.

Medialdea said the purpose of the meeting “was to confirm to the House leaders that it was PRRD’s proposed 2019 budget.”

Another congressman, Edgar Erice of Caloocan City, put the responsibility for the alleged insertions on the DBM.

“Why did the DBM allow it when it was supposed to be pushing for reforms like the so-called cash-based budgeting?” he asked.

He said some contractors have told him that many projects in the 2019 budget “are now being peddled in some regions to raise campaign funds for certain senatorial aspirants.”

Erice urged the House to investigate how the P55 billion was inserted in the budget and unmask those responsible for the insertion.

He also lauded Speaker Gloria Macapagal-Arroyo for “scrapping the P55-billion ‘palusot’ in the national budget initiated through a conspiracy of those who are in control of preparing the National Expenditure Program (the President’s version of the outlay).”

“GMA has done a great service to the country by having the political will to oppose, scrap and set aside the appropriations committee report that would have legitimized the P55-billion misplaced and questionable allocations,” he said.

He said the huge allocations for certain provinces like Abra, which supposedly was allotted nearly P5 billion, “were absurd and unimaginable.”

Other provinces that received huge allotments included Samar, which was allocated P6 billion, Palawan and the first district of Davao del Norte, which is represented by ousted speaker Pantaleon Alvarez and which reportedly has at least P2 billion.

Sources have told reporters that certain influential administration officials and lawmakers have “parked” the P55 billion in “pork” in the DPWH for use mostly in next year’s combined congressional-local elections.

House members raised a chorus of protest against the supposedly inequitable distribution of funds among legislative districts, delaying plenary budget debates for two days.

On Tuesday, the House, upon the initiative of its leaders, decided to realign P52 billion of the P55-billion “pork” to health, education, agriculture, roads to tourist destinations, diversion roads to decongest traffic and other infrastructure and services.

Budget debates, supposed to open on Monday, finally started yesterday.  – With Delon Porcalla