THE PHILIPPINE STAR
WEDNESDAY I FEBRUARY 13, 2019
3y JESS DlAz
They quareled over P75
rillion in infrastmcture funds
.n the proposed 2019 national
rudget, with Budget Secretary
Benjamin Diokno calling it a
'budgetary adjustment" and
ds congressman-tormentor,
Rolando Andaya Jr. of Cama-
:ines Su4 labeling it as Dio-
<no's "pork."
Despite the controversy and
fie bitter word war between
*rb two, the huge amount re-
nained in the outlay - but no
.onger as an insertion suppos-
:dly madeby the budget secre-
:arv and over which he would
;uliposedly ha,.e discretion.
The appropriation ended up
with senators and members of
the House of Representatives
sharing it, though not equi-
tably, as some congressmen
complained.
The House and the Sen-
ate have realigned the whole
amount, according to Andaya.
Testimonies given to the
House showed ihat the P75
billion was an eleventh hour
addition the Departrnent of
Budget and Management
(DBM) made in this year's
funding fot the Department of
Public Works and Highways
(DPWH) before President
Duterte presented his 2019
budget proposal to Congress
li
{r"t'
in July 2018. lo Lacson arrd some colleagues mitment of transparency irnd signs the proposed budget -
Based on a matrix of realign- are not partaking of what he accountabiliry We will fumish that is, if the original projects
ments the two chambers have calls the "pizza pie." He and media again with details of are still there.
made in Duterte's proposal,.the minority group of Sen. each district allocation once But they are no longer in the
the House added P20.6 bil- Franklin Drilon voted against it is ready for final printing," Congrcss version of the outlay,
lion to the DPWH budget, the the approval of the budget. he said. since the two chambers have
Senate increased it further by Some senators have report- He and Lacson have repeat- realigned the whole amount,
P25.4 billion and the bicameral edly allocated hundreds of mil- edly urged all senators to like- Andaya said.
conference committee padded lions to their home provinces wise be transparent with their He said contractors who
it by an additional P274 mil- and local Bovernment units insertions. Their appeals have have advanced the crcmmis-
where they or their relatives fallen on deaf ears.
lion, for a total of P46.4 billion. sions of lawmakers and of-
Those increases represent are candidates in the May Andaya claimed th at ficials behind the proiects are
pork barrel funds and came elections. DPWH proiects funded by now demanding refunds.
from what Andaya calls Dio- Andaya, appropriations the P75-billion addition to the One unnamed official re-
kno's P75-billion insertion. The committee chairman, chaired agency's budget had been bid tumed P200 million to a group
balance of nearly P30 billion the bicameral conference on out before 2018 ended under of Mindanao:based contractors
was distributed among other ihe budget jointly with his Sen- an early procurement circular "for fear of his life," he said.
agencies used as conduits of ate counterpart Loren Legarda. issued by. the DBM. He added that Diokno, law-
pork barrel funds. It was the Camarines Sur law- What remained to be done makers and incumbent and
If P25.4 billion were divided maker himself who released was the awarding of the con- former national and local offi-
equally among 23 senaturs, the matrix to the media in the tract to the supposedly win-
-each
cials who proposed the projects
would have Pl.1 billion. spirit of transparency. ning contractors, and this was would now have to appease tlre
,Howeve4 anti-pork Sen. Panfi- grumbling contractors.
"We remain true to our com- to be made once the President