Villafuerte explains supposed massive infra funds for CamSur, Taguig

Deputy Speaker Luis Raymund Villafuerte on Monday explained the infrastructure allocations for the province of Camarines Sur and for Taguig City, which Negros Oriental Representative Arnolfo Teves Jr. questioned during the Department of Public Works and Highways (DPWH) budget briefing last week.

In a Dobol B sa News TV interview, Villafuerte, representing the second district of Camarines Sur, said that out of the supposed P11.8 billion infrastructure budget for the province, only P3.3 billion is actually allocated for his district.

"Meron kasi kaming dalawang flagship projects—'yung CamSur Expressway at yung Pasacao-Balatan Tourism Highway, kaya lumobo," he said.

"Kung titignan naman nu'ng 2017, 2018, 2019, napakaliit ng pondo ng ating distrito. [Nakakatuwa] naman at least because 'yung NEDA nagkaroon ng flagship [project], nadagdagan din yan," he added.

The case is the same for Taguig City, of which one of two districts is represented by Speaker Alan Peter Cayetano himself, Villafuerte said.

"'Yung kay Speaker, bumagsak lang kasi 'yung C-6 sa distrito niya. Ang magbe-benefit ng C-6, buong Pilipinas, buong Metro Manila kaya lumaki 'yun. Pero hindi naman sa kanyang choice 'yun. Kumbaga, hindi lokal," he added.

Taguig City supposedly has an infrastructure allocation of P8 billion, according to Teves.

He questioned the inequitable distribution of the infrastructure allocation among districts, even pointing out that the third district of Negros Oriental, which he represents, should get more as it ranks eighth nationwide in the districts with the highest absorptive capacity.

He added that his district was only allocated less than P2 billion for infrastructure.

But Villafuerte said it was not Cayetano himself who allocated the infrastructure budgets for the legislative districts, but the executive branch.

"Hindi naman si Speaker ang naglagay ng budget. President's budget [yan], DBM ang nag-submit, DPWH," he said.

"Galing 'yan sa executive branch, hindi naman galing sa Congress 'yan. Ngayon uusisain ng Congress 'yan bilang power of the purse as mandated by the Congress," he added.

Villafuerte earlier dismissed Teves' claims as a "sinister ploy" hatched by supporters of Marinduque Representative Lord Allan Velasco to derail the House's plan to finish the budget deliberations by the end of the month. 

Both Cayetano and Velasco have a standing term-sharing agreement in which the former would hold the speakership for 15 months and the latter would take over to finish the next 21 months.

The complaints of lawmaker's on the infrastructure funds for their districts also reached presidential son and Deputy Speaker Paolo Duterte, but he said he does not want to get involved in such matters. —KG, GMA News