Senior members of the House of Representatives on Wednesday, June 30 lashed at government’s failure to spend over P18.4 billion in funds allocated for urgent programs in response to the 2019 coronavirus disease (COVID 19) pandemic.
In separate press statements, senior Deputy Minority Leader and Bayan Muna Rep. Carlos Zarate and Albay Rep. Edcel Lagman chided the Duterte administration’s alleged ineptness in the utilization of funds made available under Republic Act No. 11494 or Bayanihan 2.
“This is a serious indictment of the failure of the Duterte administration to rescue Filipinos from health complications and bail out the economy consequent to the onslaught of Covid-19,” said Lagman.
“This ineffectiveness accounts for the projection that the Philippines will be the last to recover in late 2022 from the pandemic-induced recession among the countries in the Asia-Pacific Region which have outpaced the country in the amount and alacrity in responding to the pandemic,” he said.
An independent, Lagman noted that the P165.5 billion funding for Bayanihan 2 had been considered “inadequate and lower than” what the House of Representatives originaly proposed.
“The validity of Bayanihan 2 was originally fixed from September 11, 2020 to December 19, 2020, and its effectivity was subsequently extended to June 30, 2021 or a total validity of more than nine months,” the Bicolano solon pointed out.
Zarate demanded a full accounting of the funds allocated for the implementation of the Bayanihan 1 and 2.
"Just the other day the DBM said that only P9 billion remains to be obligated under Bayanihan 2 but with the government’s low capacity to disburse and obligate, and a persistent showing of such absorptive capacity, we want to know how an amount of more than P200 billion was used in less than 3 months. The people must know where these public funds go,” said Zarate.
He noted that government had demanded more money to finance anti-COVID 19 programs but has failed to spend the allocations set under the law. He said the amount disbursed through the two laws should now be subjected to full accounting.
“Without proper accounting, we cannot blame the people for thinking that this administration is trying to create an enormous war chest in the run up for the 2022 elections," said the Deputy Minority leader.