Senator Panfilo M. Lacson said Monday that the Department of Public Works and Highways (DPWH) will have a lot of explaining to do over ‘’pork barrel’’ appropriations when the DPWH budget is up for deliberation in the Senate in October.
‘’Their explanation regarding re-appropriations and lump sums in their proposed budget won't fly. Let's see how they will try to wiggle out of it,’’ Lacson, anti-pork barrel allocations, said.
Legislators consider ‘’lump sum’’ appropriation as pork barrel and this goes against a Supreme Court decision on this issue.
‘’Having said that, the total amount representing P135 billion covering 5,913 re-appropriated items and P396 billion in lump sum appropriations lodged in the central office of the DPWH may need further clarification,’’ he said.
Lacson explained that it is basic that once an infrastructure project has started its implementation, it is already obligated.
‘’Hence, there can be no partial cash allocation, unless that project is discontinued, cancelled, or terminated. Then, the unused portion of the appropriation becomes savings that may be realigned. Or, if the project is covered by Multi Year Contractual Authority (MYCA), formerly known as MYOA or Multi Year Obligational Authority which is clearly spelled out and provided in the 2020 GAA (General Appropriations Act or national budget), the same item cannot reappear in the succeeding budget year,’’ he pointed out.
‘’We were not born yesterday as far as budgeting is concerned,’’ he added.
‘’This early, we are already seeing the ugly effects of "pork,’’ Lacson said of reports that members of the House of Representatives are fighting over the funding of their projects to be parked at the DPWH proposed 2021 budget.
‘’More than the possible delay in the passage of the 2021 national budget, any ugly squabble in plenary over the distribution of earmarks a.k.a. "pork" is exactly that – ugly,’’ he added.
Senate Minority Leader Franklin M. Drilon recalled how a power struggle and bickering over infrastructure funds in 2018 delayed the passage of the 2019 national budget for over four months, which the economic managers blamed for the economic slowdown.
Drilon said the P469-B lump-sum allocations in the DPWH budget should be disaggregated in the spirit of transparency.