Senators inclined to restore P2.6-B slashed by House in DAR’s 2022 budget

At least three senators will push for the restoration of almost P2.6-billion budget slashed by the House of Representatives from the proposed 2022 budget of the Department of Agrarian Reform (DAR).

During the continuation of the Senate plenary debates on the 2022 General Appropriations Bill (GAB) containing the P5-trillion national budget next year, Senator Cynthia Villar appealed to her colleagues to help her in reviving the over P2-billion cut in DAR’s SPLIT project.

Villar said the SPLIT project is crucial in the country’s goal in improving land security tenure and stabilization of property rights of agrarian reform beneficiaries and achieving poverty reduction.

This project will enable the subdivision of collective certificates of land ownership awards (CCLOA) into individual land titles.

Villar said the proposed budget of DAR for 2022 had increased by 29 percent because the World Bank had granted a P19.24-billion financial support to the SPLIT project with a P5.38-billion government counterpart for a total of P24.6 billion.

“It is unfortunate that the House of Representatives in their General Appropriations Bill sought the cut by P2.599 billion from the SPLIT project,” she said.

“I’m asking the support of the Senate in ensuring that the government be able to deliver what rightfully belongs to our agrarian reform beneficiaries, land that truly belongs to them, by reinstating the budget cut made by the House of Representatives,” she added.

During the interpellation of Senate Minority Leader Franklin Drilon, Villar said the Philippines would need to pay a commitment fee of around P11 million if the money from the WB loan would be used for other purposes.

“I think they [the congressmen] did not understand this, though they can transfer it for some other purposes,” she said.

At one point, Drilon asked Villar where the P2.6-billion budget was realigned.

“It could have been transferred to farm to market roads,” Drilon said in jest.

“I join the good sponsor in appealing to the chamber to restore this amount because this is sourced from borrowings and if we don’t use it, we will have to pay a commitment fee of P11 million and also I assume the interest will start to run. So there is really no rationale for reducing this budget arising from the World Bank loan,” the minority leader said.

Senator Panfilo Lacson, who earlier brought up this issue with the economic managers, said Drilon’s hunch was right.

“I think they (my staff) found it, tama si Sen. Drilon (was right)—he said it in jest—but it’s true,” Lacson manifested.

“Doon po pumunta sa (it went to) farm to market roads kasi ang (because the) initial findings—this is not conclusive yet—there’s an increase in the farm to market road budget in the [Department of Agriculture] in the amount of P1.97B from P4.98B to P6.9B in the GAB, meaning the House version. So mayroong (there’s something that is) missing talaga, more or less that amount,” he added.

Lacson reiterated the importance of restoring the budget cut as the Philippines would have to pay for a commitment fee “for nothing.” -- BAP, GMA News