Senate Minority Leader Aquilino “Koko” Pimentel III on Sunday, October 2 questioned the P544-billion lump sum appropriation lodged in the Department of Public Works and Highways’ (DPWH) proposed budget for 2023, noting that the amount is equivalent to 75 percent of the total budget of the DPWH for next year.

DPWH has a proposed P718.4-billion under the P5.268-trillion National Expenditure Program (NEP) for 2023.

“This is no small amount. The P544- billion lump sum funds is equivalent to 75 percent of the total appropriation of the DPWH for next year...In the spirit of transparency, I call on the DPWH to provide the details of this huge allocation, down to the last centavo, so the Senate and the public will be able to scrutinize it,” Pimentel said.

“Every peso in the budget should be disaggregated. Lumang tugtugin na ang pagtatago ng bilyun-bilyong lump-sum (Hiding billions of lumpsum funds is old tune). Let’s shun this practice,” the minority senator added.

Pimentel warned lumpsum amounts are prone to abuse and discretion and the funds are mostly lodged under the agency’s central office.

“For Congress to allow lump sum appropriation in the budget is tantamount to giving the executive a blanket authority to spend, in the case of DPWH, P544- billion at its own discretion,” the Senate chief fiscalizer and current chairman of the PDP-Laban warned.

Of the P544-billion lump sum appropriation, Pimentel noted that P213.95-billion are for convergence and special support programs, which includes P104.82-billion for Sustainable Infrastructure Projects Alleviating Gap or SIPAG; P52.45-billion is for Basic Infrastructure Program or BIP.

Both programs, according to Pimentel, serve duplicative functions and have purposes beyond the implementation of a national infrastructure program.

Of the P544-billion, the senator noted P10.89-billion will go for widening of primary roads, P11.46-billion for secondary roads, and P6.52-billion for tertiary roads.

He also said the lump sum funds include P86.18-billion for asset preservation program or road rehabilitation, reconstruction and upgrading. Of which, P9.19-billion will go for preventive maintenance of primary roads, P12.44-billion for secondary roads, and P9.51-billion for maintenance of tertiary roads.

Around P113.09-billion for network development program; P21.09-billion for bridge program; and P109 billion for flood management program would also be allocated from that fund.

Pimentel said he is alarmed that such amount could be a source of pork barrel funds which the Supreme Court had declared unconstitutional.

“Saang distrito at barangay mapupunta itong bilyun-bilyong alokasyon (What are the districts or barangays that would benefit from this billion worth of allocation)?” Pimentel asked.

“What I fear the most is it could be a rich source of pork barrel funds. That is why DPWH should disaggregate them and publicize the details immediately,” the lawmaker stressed.