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Manila Bulletin devider Philippines devider National devider P10.3-B OP savings for 2020 re-aligned for bat cave, cruise ship port, other projects?

P10.3-B OP savings for 2020 re-aligned for bat cave, cruise ship port, other projects?

Published Sep 12, 2021 04:21 pm

The Office of the President re-aligned P10.33 billion in supposed savings during the height of last year’s COVID-19 pandemic devastation to finance the construction of a port for cruise ships, swimming pool, convention center and a bat cave, among other supposedly non-essential items.

Bat

Former Bayan Muna Rep. Neri Colmenares said what’s more “unconscionable” about the expenditures was the fact that the allocation for the projects did not pass through congressional deliberation as they were tagged by Malacanang as “new projects” that may be financed using contingency funds.

Records of the Department of Budget and Management disclosed that among the new projects implemented last year were the construction of sports complex facilities that included swimming pool, warm up pool and bleachers, P70 million in Sorsogon; road rehabilitation and drainage line construction in Palo, Leyte; P14-million; construction of three-storey instructor’s billeting area with cafeteria for PNP-SAF in Laguna, P40-million; construction of Bakneb Rivercave for tourism in T’boli, South Cotabato, P5 million; completion of the First Scout Ranger Regiment Clubhouse in San Miguel, Bulacan, P4 million and preventive maintenance of road in Legazpi City, Albay, P45-million.

Government also financed the construction of a cruis port and facilities in Legazpi, Albay, P150-million; convention center in Region III and multi-purpose building in Davao City, P20 million.

Colmenares lamented that at least P30 million in supposed OP savings was used to finance a feasibility study of the the water supply system in Ormoc City, Leyte.

“P30 million was used for the development of a bat cave in Barangay Asbang, Matanao, Davao del Sur. Scandalous ito,” he said.

He expressed strong doubts that Malacanang can justify the expenditures, stressing that the projects are clearly not urgent if compared to the fact that government was scraping for more funds to finance programs against the COVID-19 public health crisis.

“This phenomena of unused funds or parked funds found by COA (Commission on Audit) must be fully investigated if it is being used by President Duterte to give out a pork barrel to his favorite candidate for the 2022 election,” the former lawmaker said.

Colmenares noted that while Duterte “continues to saddle us with loans with high interest” in 2020, some P200 billion in savings were unearthed from the 2022 National Expenditure Program submitted by the DBM.

According to him the Duterte government has incurred P1.2 trillion in loans during his less than five years in power.

On the other hand, all six former president presidents from the time of the late President Ferdinand E. Marcos to that of the late President Benigno Aquino III have incurred a total P987 billion only.

Related Tags

Bayan Muna Partylist Rep. Neri Colmenares Office of the President
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