Lacson vows to push for realignment of DPWH's 'illegal' NEP amendments

Senator Panfilo Lacson on Thursday said he would push for the realignment of the illegal amendments of the Department of Public Works and Highways in its proposed P666.47 billion budget for 2021.

DPWH's submitted addendum should have only detailed the lump sums that were being questioned in the national expenditure program (NEP), not amend their original budget request, Lacson said in a statement.

He emphasized that amending the budget proposal is the "exclusive function" of Congress as part of the budget process.

"If no substantial adjustments are made once the final version of the 2021 GAB (general appropriations bill) is transmitted to the Senate by next week as promised by the new Speaker, I intend to propose during our plenary debates to cut or realign the excessive and unjustified 'NEP amendments' that the DPWH illegally made," Lacson said.

During the Senate panel hearing on DPWH's budget on Wednesday, Lacson said the proposed budget of the agency was already "mangled" compared to the NEP.

He questioned why there were increased allocations for local infrastructure projects while those for national ones had substantially been decreased.

Lacson believes "choice projects" of some legislators had been accommodated.

'Maginoo, matakaw, balasubas'

The senator said President Rodrigo Duterte's remark on Wednesday about the corruption in DPWH was very timely.

"Dito sa DPWH malakas ‘yan diyan. Projects, ‘yung project engineers, iyan, iyan lahat, road right-of-way, grabe ang corruption diyan. Walang construction na uumpisa dito na walang transaction. Mayroon ‘yan," Duterte said during a televised address.

"Ang mga project ng DPWH mayroon talaga ‘yan para sa give. Hindi ko — hindi ko alam kung sino. There are so many officials lined up in the bureaucratic maze so hindi ko alam kung sino diyan," he added.

Lacson agreed with Duterte and said this practice has become an "open secret" in the implementation of public works projects, "involving not only some corrupt officials of the department but some legislators as well."

Contractors have already given nicknames to corrupt officials depending on how much kickbacks they demand, according to the senator.

"Officials from the executive and legislative branches who ask for 'only' 10 percent are 'mabait, maginoong kausap' and those who demand 20 to 30 percent are 'matakaw,'" Lacson said, adding "While those who demand advance payments and renege on their word as 'balasubas' and 'mandurugas.'"

Senate's committee on finance already approved the DPWH budget but the agency will still face the plenary next month.

It was the DPWH budget that caused the "downfall" of former Speaker Alan Peter Cayetano, according to a lawmaker in the House. —LBG, GMA News