The P16.44 billion fund allocated for the Support to the Barangay Development Program of the National Task Force to End Local Communist Armed Conflict (NTF-ELCAC) is not a pork barrel and will not in any way serve as the Duterte administration's election war chest for the 2022 polls, Department of Interior and Local Government (DILG) Secretary Eduardo Año said Thursday.
DILG Secretary Eduardo Año (Photo from Philippine Information Agency / MANILA BULLETIN)
In a budget hearing, the DILG chief told the House Committee on Appropriations, chaired by ACT-CIS partylist Rep. Eric Go Yap that the 822 barangay-beneficiaries of the program are not vote-rich areas.
“Ang mga barangays na ito ay hindi vote-rich barangays, ito ay mga isolated, far-flung areas. Malayong malayo po na maikonekta po ito sa election. At ito po ay para talaga maiangat yung mga kakawa nating kababayan na napag-iwanan sa matagal na panahon,” he said.
(These barangays are not vote-rich barangays, these are isolated, far-flung areas. This should not be connected to the upcoming election. And this is solely intended to lift our poor countrymen who have been left behind for a long time.)
Among the projects under the program are the establishment of farm-to-market roads, barangay health centers, and school buildings, according to Año.
Kabataan partylist Rep. Sarah Jane Elago asked Año if the P16 billion allocation of the NTF-ELCAC will be used as an “election war chest”.
“Dahil simula na sa 2021 ang ng national elections, hindi po ba ito ang dating ay parang election war chest na hinahawakan natin sa leeg ang mga barangay para sila ay magkaroon ng dagdag ng pondo,” she said.
(Because preparations for the national elections will start in 2021, can we say this is somehow an election war chest, so that we can strangle the barangays so that they can have additional funds.)
Año rejected allegations that the fund is “generals' pork barrel”. Earlier reports said it was espoused by National Security Adviser Hermogenes Esperion Jr., a retired military general.
“Unang una, ito naman ay dadaan sa COA audit at mayroon po tayong tinatawag na monitoring and evaluation at mananagot ang bawat ahensya,” he said.
(First of all, this will be subjected to COA audit and we have what we call monitoring and evaluation and each agency will be held liable.)
“Makaasa kayo na ito ay intended kung saan pupunta at kung mayroon mang nananamantala , kami po kasama ang iba pang investigative agencies, ay sisiguraduhing hindi magkakaron ng anumang abuso dito,” he assured.
(We assure you that this will be given to the intended beneficiaries and if there will be people who will abuse this, we, together with other investigative agencies will ensure that there will be no abuses here.)
He explained that they have "initial listing" of projects, which will be submitted to the Office of the President.
"Hindi po natin ito masasabing lump sum sapagkat naka-itemize naman ito at fina-finalize lang namin. Ito ay isa-submit sa Congress once makumpleto na po ang listahan ng specific projects. Hindi po tayo papayag na ila-lump sum ito, dapat ito naka-define ang bawat project para sigurado na pupunta ito sa tamang kinauukulan,” Año said, after Elago described as “lump sum” the NTF-ELCAC allocation.
(We cannot say that this is lump sum because the projects are itemized and we are just finalizing this. This will be submitted to Congress once we complete the list of specific projects. We will not allow this to be a lump sum, each project should be defined to ensure that this will reach its intended recipients).