Opinion

Budgets of 38 agencies: ‘Aprub without thinking’

GOTCHA - Jarius Bondoc - The Philippine Star

October 9, 2020 | 12:00am

Without benefit of open debate, majority congressmen have passed the 2021 budgets of 38 state agencies. It was on say-so of a kingpin “desperately clinging to power.” They just blindly obeyed. “Aprub without thinking,” as Filipinos deprecate such antic.

Among the budgets unquestioningly approved were of 15 executive departments, each with dozens of attached corporations and offices. As well, of 112 state universities and colleges. In all, the government bodies number in the hundreds.

Leading the unstudied departments were health and social welfare (complete list below). Earlier their allocations and programs were rated unresponsive to prolonged pandemic in 2021. For one, funding for all types of vaccines was only P2.5 billion, when P60 billion is needed for COVID-19 alone. There was also no appropriation for “ayuda” for 18 million poor families.

Also glossed over were funds for public works and transportation. Public works is where congressmen’s pork barrels are inserted with impunity although illegal. Transportation has been reported as excessive and inapt. Yet those departments are supposed to lead the government’s infra-works to jumpstart the dormant economy.

Those budgets rashly were approved on second reading Tuesday. It was not on the House of Reps agenda. Speaker Alan Peter Cayetano railroaded it, then abruptly suspended sessions for a month. By dispersing the congressmen to their provinces, he aimed to avert the scheduled turnover on Oct. 14 of his post to Rep. Lord Allan Velasco.

Cayetano won the day. But Filipinos will waste P4.5 trillion, the entire national expenditure program for 2021. That amount will come from taxes, license fees and other exactions. Also from government debts for the people to repay. Filipinos must cough up the P4.5 trillion for programs and procurements, sight unseen.

The majority congressmen were unaware that they would be okaying anything last Tuesday. They were only told by party whips to attend in person or by video-conference, and mimic Cayetano’s actions on the floor.

Then unfolded the script. Taking the mike, Cayetano lambasted Velasco and allies, and minority and opposition members. At the end of which, he moved to advance the budget’s approval on second reading by two days. Minions seconded. Objectors were muted. The ayes bayed in viva voce. No more discussions on the 38 agencies’ funds. Overridden was the gentleman’s agreement for Cayetano to turn over the Speakership to Velasco on Oct. 14.

Cayetano steamrollered another motion to adjourn right there and then. Advanced by 11 days was the start of the All Saints’/All Souls’ break on Oct. 17. Again a rush of seconding, muting and baying.

In minutes it was over. Quashed was a scheduled third reading on Oct. 15. Session will resume Nov. 16. Only then will congressmen approve the third reading. With the House on recess, Velasco cannot properly be installed.

Cayetano and clique must have been inspired from on high. After the stage show Cayetano knelt on the chamber floor and bowed; his deputies and committee chairmen surrounded him in hallelujah.

Cayetano has a month to consolidate his forces. He formed a small “committee” to receive congressmen’s budget amendments “for later release.” FLR is the new term for multibillion-peso illegal insertions to benefit congressmen’s pet projects. The small committee consists of Cayetano loyalists expert in pork barrels.

In all, seven constitutional provisions and 16 congressional rules were broken for and by Cayetano. Foremost were Filipinos’ right to representation, especially in the use of their money. No proper plenary deliberations were held to justify every peso and centavo of the P4.5-trillion budget.

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List of Agencies that were not subjected to Plenary Debates:

1. Dept. of Health

2. Dept. of Social Welfare and Development

3. Dept. of Public Works and Highways

4. Dept. of Transportation

5. Dept. of Budget and Management

6. Dept. of Tourism

7. Dept. of Environment and Natural Resources

8. Dept. of Education

9. Dept. of Finance/Bureau of Internal Revenue

10. Dept. of the Interior and Local Government