Andaya accuses Senate of ‘sabotaging’ gov’t infra, priority programs

House Committee on Appropriations chairperson Rolando Andaya Jr. on Monday accused the Senate of "sabotaging" the priority programs of the Duterte administration when it supposedly cut down the allocation for infrastructure and other projects of the government.

Andaya made the remark as he clarified accusations from senators that the amendments of the House in the bicameral conference committee meetings in the budget were only meant to "debilitate" the executive in implementing government priority programs.

In a statement, Andaya maintained that the House never moved to reduce the allocations for infrastructure projects in the National Expenditure Program (NEP).

He even said that the House made amendments to increase the budget for these programs without going beyond the total amount pegged in the NEP in order to spur economic growth through public expenditure.

"It is the Senate that may find itself liable to accusation of sabotage when it decided, unilaterally, to cut down the allocation for the President's 'Build, Build, Build' Program and other priority projects," Andaya said.

Among these items taken out by the Senate from the 2019 General Appropriations Bill, according to Andaya, include P5 billion from the Department of Transportation for right-of-way projects, P11.033 billion from the Department of Public Works and Highways also for right-of-way projects, and P2.5 billion under the same department of foreign-assisted projects.

"Depriving the government with funds for right-of-way and other infrastructure projects will surely hamper the implementation of the President's Build, Build, Build Program," Andaya said.

"Construction on priority projects including mass transit and railway systems will be mostly affected," he added.

Aside from these, allocation for other priority programs under various department were also slashed, Andaya claimed, including:

• Technical Education and Skills Development Authority - P3 billion for scholarship of rebel returnees, out-of-school youths and rehabilitating drug dependents enrolled under the Universal Access to Tertiary Education, resulting in the lost of scholarship for at least 320,000 students enrolled under this program;
• Department of Environment and Natural Resources - P2.254 billion for National Greening Program, which resulted in 50 percent budget cut for all PENROs except Antique;
• Department of Foreign Affairs - P7.5 billion budget for SEA Games taken out, but P5 billion transferred to Philippine Sports Commission and P2.5 billion cannot be found;
• Miscellaneous Personnel Benefit Fund - P13.4 billion, which is one of three sources of money paid to government personnel;
• Pension and Gratuity Fund - P39 billion, which covers the payment for pension of AFP retirees; retirement benefits for optional retirees of the national government; separation benefits or incentives of personnel affected by restructuring, rightsizing, merger, streamlining, abolition or privatization of agencies; and monetization of leave credits of national government personnel.

"We are confident that the Office of the President would consider these items in their review and find ways on how to restore them in the President's veto message," Andaya said.

It was only last week that the 2019 budget bill was submitted to President Rodrigo Duterte for signing and approval.

Senate President Vicente Sotto III, however, said he had "strong reservations" in the budget bill, and urged the President to veto its "unconstitutional" provisions. 

Andaya said the House respects the veto power of the President, and they believe that he will use this power for the benefit of the people. 

'Last ditch effort'

Reached for his comments, Senate President Vicente Sotto III said Andaya’s accusations were last ditch effort to obfuscate the issue and try to prevent the President's veto of the illegal realignments.

"Even their colleagues know. No excuses necessary because the President knows everything," Sotto said in a text message to GMA News Online.

Senator Panfilo Lacson, meanwhile, said he was the main proponent of most of the cuts “which I did only upon the requests or concurrence of the agencies.”

“When I introduced to cut P75 billion after DPWH admitted not to be aware of the additional appropriations and therefore not prepared to implement the projects; another P20 billion in ROW funding which the agency itself requested to be slashed after admitting that they cannot utilize the same in 2019; P16 billion from the DILG’s financial assistance to LGU’s under ALGU which they said they knew nothing about etc, I found out that at least P23 billion was realigned at the initiative of a number of my colleagues,” he said.

He added other realignments were used to augment the much depleted Hospital Facilities Enhance Program;  the activation of the Army’s 11th Infantry Division upon the direction of the President; adjustments or the purchase of medicines by the Veterans Memorial Medical Center due to the increase in the price index of medicines, and other institutional amendments, and therefore should not be regarded as pork.

“Nevertheless, I did not sign the bicam report, being a member of the Senate panel, and I dissented when the same was presented on the Senate floor for ratification,” he said.

Senator Aquilino Pimentel III, president of the administration Partido Demokratiko Pilipino-Lakas ng Bayan (PDP-Laban), said the administration should just be allowed to exercise its line-item veto power.

“Let the Duterte administration decide on that because it has power to line item veto. Hence,  the budget should still reflect the priorities of the administration after the exercise of this right,” he said in text message to GMA News Online.

Palace reaction

Duterte's spokesperson Salvador Panelo said the President will be "factoring in" the arguments of the Senate and House in scrutinizing the budget bill.

"That is an internal problem of with respect to the two houses, they should resolve that. They're accusing each other of certain irregularities or acts in conflict with the Constitution," Panelo said at a news conference.

"Meanwhile the President I'm sure will be factoring in all the statements made by both houses in going over the budget and then decide for himself," he added. — with Amita Legaspi and Virgil Lopez/RSJ, GMA News