Miriam links ‘lopsided’ 2015 budget to 2016 polls

Senate Miriam Defensor Santiago on Monday criticized the proposed 2015 budget, describing it as “very lopsided” and even linking it to the 2016 national and local elections.

In a privilege speech, Santiago said the 2015 budget being deliberated upon at the Senate is not what the Filipino people expect but rather “what administration candidates expect.”

Asked to elaborate on her statement, the senator said the budget submitted by Malacañang “gives too much money where it should not be placed. It does not give enough to where it is most needed.”

“It’s a very lopsided budget. It is very cleverly crafted, but you can see through the device that it is meant to give heads of certain agencies with grassroots connections or relationships much more money for topics that are not necessarily covered by their mandate,” Santiago said in a press conference following her privilege speech.

She cited as an example the Department of Interior and Local Government (DILG), which was given funding for a potable water supply project. She said health reasons prevented her from questioning the budget during the hearing.

“I had to step out of the plenary session hall because I’m now out of breath but I would have wanted to interpellate why, for example, is so much money given to that Patubig project of DILG,” said Santiago, who is currently battling lung cancer.

DILG is headed by Secretary Mar Roxas, a member of the administration’s Liberal Party, which is eyeing him as a possible presidential bet in the 2016 polls.

Santiago said it's the National Irrigation Authority and not the DILG that has primary authority over water. “Are these local politicians expecting some windfall during the campaign period? Is that why the budget is so skewed like that?” she asked.

She was referring to the DILG’s P1.57 billion proposed budget for the project to supply potable water to waterless municipalities and barangays that will be implemented subject to the execution of a memorandum of agreement (MOA) between the DILG and respective local government units.

The amount is included in the agency’s P104.57 billion proposed budget for next year. The DILG will also get the lion’s share of the P1.5 billion confidential and intelligence funds under the proposed national budget with P326 million, P20 million of which is alloted to the Office of the Secretary and P306 million to the Philippine National Police.  

During the plenary deliberation of the DILG budget, Senator Ferdinand Marcos Jr. asked Senator Francis Escudero, who was defending the agency’s budget, why the Patubig project is under DILG.

Escudero insisted that the project “is within the mandate of DILG.” He said the DILG will not undertake the project but will only supervise its implementation by the LGU and monitor compliance.

Marcos then asked for the basis of the setup but Escudero said they will just give the senator documents regarding the project.

Roxas, together with other DILG officials, was at the session hall to assist Escudero in defending their budget. —KBK/JST, GMA News