Duterte to scrutinize 2020 budget amid fresh allegations of 'pork' insertions

MANILA, Philippines — Malacañang assured the public Tuesday that President Rodrigo Duterte would scrutinize next year's proposed budget and would not allow unlawful items following fresh allegations of "pork" insertions in the spending bill.

Sen. Panfilo Lacson claimed last Monday that each member of the House of Representatives would get P700 million and each of the 22 deputy speakers would receive P1.5 billion under the proposed P4.1 trillion budget for next year.

READ: Districts have different needs, Lacson says of P100M for lawmakers' projects

He said the allocations could be P54 billion in "pork" given that there are 300 members of the chamber. The senator admitted though that he still has to validate the information, which supposedly came from lawmakers themselves. 

"Pork" or priority development assistance fund refers to lump sum and discretionary funds allotted to the pet projects of lawmakers.

The Supreme Court has declared the allocation as unconstitutional for violating the separation of powers by allowing lawmakers to wield non-oversight, post-enactment authority in vital areas of budget executions.

READ: Duterte certifies passage of P4.1 trillion budget in 2020 as urgent

Presidential spokesperson Salvador Panelo declined to comment when asked if he thought a legal problem would arise from the reported insertions but maintained that Duterte would not allow illegal items in the budget.  

"That is his constitutional duty — to scrutinize budget," Panelo said in a press briefing.

"Definitely, (he would scrutinize the budget) as he has done so in the past. We should always remember that he is a lawyer," he added.

READ: Duterte to ask Congress about alleged inclusion of over P35B pork barrel in 2020 budget

Panelo said the president would be the one to decide whether the allocations in the budget are "pork"

"If from his legal point of view is unconstitutional relative to this alleged pork, then he (would) veto that as he did prior to this budget," the presidential spokesperson said.

Asked if he thought the supposed P700 million allocation for each House member was reasonable, Panelo said it would depend on the needs of their constituents.

"Now whether or not this is pork barrel, that will depend on the evaluation of the President consistent with what the constitution dictates and what the Supreme Court has decided on the matter," he said.

READ: Palace urges Congress to pass 2020 budget on time to avoid economic slowdown

Duterte vetoed 12 spending provisions and more than P95 billion worth of public works projects in the 2019 budget, saying he would not tolerate "attempts to circumvent the Constitution or any other action that will prejudice the Filipino people." He also reiterated that he would not permit corruption during his time and reminded lawmakers to "honor" the offices and the people they serve.

The squabble among House and Senate leaders over the alleged insertions in this year's budget derailed the passage of the spending bill, forcing the Duterte administration to operate on a reenacted budget in the first quarter. The delayed passage of the budget affected government spending, resulting in a slower-than-expected growth in the first three months, economic managers said.

Panelo expressed confidence that the latest controversy would not delay the passage of the 2020 budget.

"I remember last time, the squabble started within the House of Representatives, not in the Senate. This time, the House approval was swift," he said.

Not pork?

Last week, House and Ways Committee chairman and Albay Rep. Joey Salceda confirmed that each member of the House of Representatives would receive allocations for their projects but the amount he stated was P100 million, not P700 million.

Unlike the post-enactment authority declared illegal by the Supreme Court, lawmakers would have to seek project funds from agencies before the executive branch prepares the budget.

Panelo said the Supreme Court would be the "final decider" on whether the allocations for congressional projects in next year's budget circumvented the high court's ruling on "pork."

"This (allocation) is not pork barrel given the yardstick provided by the Supreme Court, then it's OK. But ultimately it will be, one, the President first; and then if somebody questions it, it’s the Supreme Court," he added.

Panelo said the Palace is also giving House Speaker Alan Cayetano the benefit of the doubt as the lawmaker is drawing flak for the P1.6 billion hike in the proposed budget of the House of Representatives. Cayetano previously said a higher budget is necessary to improve the facilities of the chamber, boost its research capabilities, meet the spending requirement for the new Salary Standardization Law, and to fund additional committees.

"If that's the explanation of Speaker Alan, then we’ll have to give him the benefit of the doubt. The presumption of regularity given to all official acts will have to be applied until such time there is evidence to the contrary," Panelo said.