Yap says no solon was able to make insertions in 2021 budget bill

House Committee on Appropriations chair Eric Yap on Thursday reiterated that no congressperson was able to make insertions in the House of Representatives' version of the 2021 General Appropriations Bill (GAB), as only amendments from the different departments were included.

Yap made the remark after Senator Panfilo Lacson claimed that congressional districts were allocated P620 million to P15 billion each in infrastructure projects in the House's version of the budget bill.

"Walang congressman na nag-submit sa amin ng list tapos ipinasok namin sa GAB, walang nangyaring ganun. Lahat ito puro agency-initiated lahat," Yap said in a phone interview with GMA News.

"Sila ang nagbigay sa amin ng mga errata nila, ng mga changes nila, at kami pinasok lang namin yun dahil meron silang request. Pero walang nakapagpasok na congressman," he added.

The Department of Public Works and Highways, for instance, have their own list of amendments that they want to be included in the 2021 GAB, as do the Department of Budget and Management and the Department of Agriculture.

"Meron silang mga amendments na normal naman yun, mga institutional amendments, so ino-honor naman namin yun," he said.

During the Senate's deliberations of the proposed P659-billion allocation for the Department of Public Works and Highways, Lacson pointed out the supposed huge infrastructure budget allocations for congressional districts.

"Colleagues, all I can say is, pity yourselves, those of us who may have individual insertions, it will make you look like barangay kagawads compared to our House counterparts. You see, from a high of P15.351 billion to a low of P620 million," Lacson said.

"In fact, yung number 1 to I think 220 districts, mahigit P1 billion. The remaining 100 or so or less than 100, ang lowest diyan P620 million," he added.

Asked about the supposed P15.351-billion insertion, Yap said they do not look at the amounts but only at the projects for which these amounts are allocated.

"For example, doon sa Davao meron doon coastal highway. Ang makikinabang nga doon ay hindi lang Davao City, [pati] yung mga dumadaan doon na galing ng ibang part ng Mindanao like General Santos City kasi hindi na sila dadaan ng Davao City," he said.

Despite the amount, Yap said these infrastructure allocations are justified as they are part of the Duterte administration's Build, Build, Build program.

"Agency nagbigay nun, and then part of the program ng administration yun. Hindi namin pwedeng kwestiyunin yun," he said.

"Kung napunta man siya sa Visayas o napunta sa Luzon, as long as DPWH, sila ang nag-identify niyan, hindi namin pwedeng tanggalin yun kasi priority projects yan. Hindi namin pwedeng pigilan yung magandang ginagawa ng administration," he added.

Speaker Lord Allan Velasco earlier maintained that there is no "pork" in the House-approved 2021 GAB.

“I can assure ‘yung ating mga kababayan na ‘yung pinasa natin sa Kamara ay pork-free po ‘yan,” he said.

“Talagang sinigurado po natin 'yan dahil naniniwala po tayo na hindi lamang po dapat on time ang pagpasa ng budget kundi constitutionalat [at] legal po ito," he added. — BM, GMA News