Lacson says districts with reps ‘close’ to Arroyo get big budget insertions

Senator Panfilo Lacson on Sunday said that he has observed a "pattern" among congressional districts allowed huge budget insertions: their representatives are supposedly "close" to the House Speaker.

"Alam mo ang pattern makikita mo, 'pag nakita mo kung sino ang congressman doon sa district na malalaki, biglang lumobo [ang budget], isa lang ang common denominator: malapit sa Speaker," Lacson said in an interview on Super Radyo dzBB.

"Yung isang distrito sa Mindanao, halos so far ang nakikita namin kulang-kulang P2 billion... 'yung isang distrito naman sa Visayas, ganun din papalo siya ng mga isang bilyon," he added.

Pampanga Representative Gloria Macapagal-Arroyo serves as the speaker of the House of Representatives.

Last week, Lacson bared that there were notable budget insertions for the second district of Pampanga, including a P500-million project for farm to market roads.

Though the district was represented by Arroyo, Lacson said he was careful not to directly imply that the Speaker made the insertions.

P1.9 billion worth of projects for the first district of Camarines Sur, represented by House Majority Leader Rolando Andaya Jr., was also noted.

"Alam natin kung sino yung district representatives pero ako wala akong personal knowledge kung sino 'yung gumawa ng insertions," he said.

Further conclusions should be left to the judgment of the public, he added.

Lacson said he is making a fair scrutiny of the budget deliberations, citing that he also questioned the budget insertions of some members of the Senate in the past years.

"Hindi totoong House lang 'yung kinukwestyon ko. General 'yung aking approach at indiscriminate," he said.

Lacson explained that the Senate has not entered the amendment period yet, so he cannot tell whether there are unreasonable budget insertions in the upper chamber.

"Hindi intensyon na magkaroon ng revelation, hindi intensyon na magkarooon ng exposé, ang intensyon is i-correct yung mga nakikitang mali sa budget," Lacson said.

Moreover, he projected that the 2019 budget will not be approved before the year ends.

"Hindi namin kayang tapusin... maski mag-special session kami, hindi pa rin kakayanin unless papayag nalang kaming hilaw-hilaw 'yung budget," he said.

"Aabutin talaga 'to next year. Hindi natin maiiwasan 'yun at hindi namin kasalanan ito," he added.

Lacson previously said that the 2019 budget was allegedly stalled in the House of Representatives due to budget insertions.

The government is set to operate on a re-enacted budget if the proposed P3.757-trillion budget for 2019 does not get approved on time.

The 1987 Constitution states that “If, by the end of any fiscal year, the Congress shall have failed to pass the general appropriations bill for the ensuing fiscal year, the general appropriations law for the preceding fiscal year shall be deemed reenacted and shall remain in force and effect until the general appropriations bill is passed by the Congress.” — Dona Magsino/BM, GMA News