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Manila Bulletin devider Philippines devider National devider AKAP defunded billions worth in gov't pension, Imee says

AKAP defunded billions worth in gov't pension, Imee says

Published Feb 20, 2024 05:33 am

Sen. Imee Marcos disclosed on Tuesday, February 20, that this year's national budget was defunded billions worth in pensions to give way to the controversial Ayuda para sa Kapos ang Kita Program (AKAP).

Marcos said that these include those for retired military and uniformed personnel, as well as retirement and separation benefits for government workers.

She cited a comparison between the National Expenditure Program (NEP) submitted to Congress and the General Appropriations Act for 2024 shows that the Pension and Gratuity Fund suffered a P110.25-billion cut, from P253,205,826,000 to P142,956,826,000.

The senator also lamented the P5.4-billion cut in the P15.31-billion budget proposed in the NEP for the Department of Migrant Workers and the complete deletion of programmed funding for foreign-assisted flagship projects of the Department of Public Works and Highways.

Marcos, who chairs the Senate Committee on Social Justice, Welfare, and Rural Development, reiterated that the P26.7-billion AKAP, which also has more than P33 billion in unprogrammed funds, was a Lower House insertion in the 2024 budget's final version, to which the e-signatures of senators were attached after the fact.

"The President did not mention AKAP in the NEP, nor was it in the bicameral version of the GAA, yet it appeared in the final, printed version," Marcos explained.

"Labu-labong 60 billion ang inilaan. Di natin alam kung para sa bigas, o sa trabaho, o sa outright ayuda (A fuzzy 60 billion was allotted. We don't know if it's for rice, jobs, or outright cash assistance)," she said, citing the DSWD's admission that it still had to draw up the program's guidelines for implementation.

The senator is consulting with the DBM and DSWD ahead of a possible Senate investigation of AKAP, apart from the ongoing probe by the Senate electoral reforms committee to verify the authenticity of a so-called People's Initiative to revise the Constitution.

"Hindi ko kinokontra ang AKAP kundi ang tiwaling paggamit nito para sa pulitika. Alam naman natin ang national budget ngayong taon ay election budget (I am not against AKAP, but its misuse for political ends. We all know this year's national budget is an election budget)," Marcos said, referring to the national and local elections in 2025.

Related Tags

AKAP national expenditure program (NEP) Senator Imee Marcos General Appropriations Act (GAA) Ayuda Para sa Kapos ang Kita Program (AKAP).
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