Lacson questions P5-billion Bayanihan 2 funds spent on farm-to-market roads

Senator Panfilo Lacson on Monday questioned the release of P5 billion in COVID-19 response funds for farm-to-market roads under the Agriculture Stimulus Package of Bayanihan To Recover As One Law or the Bayanihan 2.

"We noticed releases under Bayanihan 2 focused on farm-to-market roads worth P5 billion. Can you explain the connection between these farm-to-market road releases and the government's COVID response?" Lacson said during the continuation of Senate plenary debates on the 2022 budget bill.

Lacson said he could not see the connection between the infrastructure projects and the response versus COVID-19

Senator Cynthia Villar, the sponsor of the Department of Agriculture’s P91-billion proposed budget for 2022, said the funds could have been for the improvement of the logistics.

While Villar's reply drew laughter inside the Senate session hall, Lacson said the issue should not be treated as a “joking matter” as it involved public funds.

Lacson also questioned the 17% increase in the DA’s proposed budget for Agri-Machinery, Equipment, Facilities, and Infrastructure program from P11.3 billion to P13.32 billion.

He said the huge part of the increase was allotted to the farm-to-market roads, augmenting the funding from P4.98 billion under the National Expenditure Program to P6.95 billion under the House of Representatives' version of the budget bill.

The DA has denied being looped into the details of the projects when asked about the flagged increases.

Lacson said that this was a “perennial problem” for agencies like the DA getting added funds for projects like farm-to-market roads but not being consulted about them.

"There are other priorities when they prepared the budget to answer the budget call," Lacson said.

"They were tedious in preparing the budget. Now, all of a sudden, at the snap of a finger, nawala ang budget, nalipat kung saan (with the funds being transferred elsewhere). This is a perennial problem," he added. -NB, GMA News