Lacson says 2022 budget not pork-free at this point

For Senator Panfilo Lacson, the proposed 2022 national budget is not "pork-free" at this time.

At a virtual media presser, Lacson was asked if the proposed P5.024-trillion budget for fiscal year 2022 could be considered pork-free. In response, Lacson said that in the case of the Department of Agriculture, there had been transfer of funds to farm-to-market road projects.

"Hindi, hindi… Kung strictly ide-define natin kung ano ‘yung pork, ang pork—uulitin ko—hindi naman masama per se ‘yung pork. Ang problema kung hindi naikonsulta ito sa sa mga ahensya na mag-i-implement. Kasi ito ang parati kong tanong. Sa DA, maraming kinaltas, ‘yung kanilang mga agri machinery, tapos ‘yung infrastructure ay nilipat na lang basta sa farm-to-market roads. Ang nailipat na nga P5 billion doon sa Bayanihan tapos naglilipat pa ulit," Lacson said.

[No, no...If we strictly define pork, pork—I repeat—is not bad per se. The problem is when there has been no consultation with the implementing agencies. Because this is what is always being asked. At the DA, a lot [of funds] was removed, their agri machinery, and the infrastructure that was just moved abruptly to farm-to-market roads. What was moved was P5 billion in Bayanihan, then it got moved again.]

Lacson said that he asked Agriculture Secretary William Dar, through the sponsor, if there had been consultation.

"Ang sagot nila, ang sagot niya, wala. So, sabi ko, paano niyo i-implement? Diyan nagkakaroon ng napakalaking unused appropriations. Kasi kung hindi nanggaling doon sa mag-i-implementa o hindi man lang sila nakonsulta, ang talagang resulta niyan hindi ma-i-implement, o kung ma-implement man ay paloko ang implementation dahil minadali," he added.

[They said no. So I asked, how will that be implemented? That's how we get a lot of unused appropriations. Because if it's not from the implementer of they were not consulted, the result really is that it does not get implemented, or if it does the implementation is a joke because it's rushed.]

Lacson also mentioned the insertion of funds to the Health Facilities Enhancement Program, which is part of the Universal Healthcare Act. He pointed out that it seems there was no planning in allocating funds for this specific project.

"Wala pa tayo kasi doon sa mga malalaking ahensya. Ang nakita pa lang natin… Meron na rin kaming nasilip doon sa HFEP na may mga siningit doon, katunayan, naglalakihan eh."

[We saw that there have been insertions in the HFEP, and truth be told they're quite large.]

He added that action on the Universal Healthcare Act has "stagnated."

"Tatlong taon na ‘yan, tatlong appropriation laws na ang naipasa namin, hindi pa tayo nakakaangat man lang papunta sa medium cost," Lacson said.

[It's been three years, we've passed three appropriation laws, and we have not even improved to medium cost.]

"Ngayon, kung paglalaruan natin ‘yung pondo na magpapatibay sa ating Universal Healthcare Act para ma-fully implement ay sa pamamagitan ng pagsisingit lang, na parang arbitrarily nagsisingit ‘yung mga legislator kung saan-saan napupunta, walang planning na nangyayari. So, so far, ‘yun pa lang ang nakikita natin na mga naisinigit doon sa NEP na naging GAB," he added.

[Now, if we're going to play with the funds to strengthen the universal Healthcare Act to fully implement it just be insertions, that legislators seem to arbitrarily insert for it to go wherever, no planning happens. So far, that's just what we have seen inserted in the national expenditure program (NEP) that has become the general appropriations bill.]

Lacson said senators would continue to scrutinize the funds allotted for various programs of the government agencies.

Lacson said the proposed budget of the Department of Public Works and Highways and the Department of Transportation, which are considered as among the huge agencies, are yet to be checked.

The Senate budget deliberation was suspended on November 18 after Defense Secretary Delfin Lorenzana, who attended the budget debates on the Department of National Defense, tested positive for COVID-19.

It will resume on Monday, November 21. — BM, GMA News