Cynthia Villar questions dip in DENR Nat'l Greening Project budget

Senator Cynthia Villar on Wednesday questioned the decrease in the funding of the Department of Environment and Natural Resources’ (DENR) National Greening Program (NGP) after she sought proper accounting of it last year.

“Before, ang budget niyo sa greening P4.5 billion. Nung pinalalagay ko na sa protected area, lumiit. Bakit lumiliit? P2.6 lang ito,” Villar said during the continuation of the Senate finance committee hearing on DENR’s proposed 2024 budget.

(The budget for the NGP before is about P4.5 billion. When I told DENR to put it in the protected areas, the NGP funding decreased. It is now at P2.6 billion.)

“Kaya minsan naiisip ko, madumi isip ko eh, nu’ng greening na walang accounting, okay sa inyo ‘yung P4.5 billion. Nung maa-account na dahil nilipat sa protected area, pinaliit niyo na kasi you will be accounted for,” she added.

(My dirty mind cannot help but think that when the NGP has no proper accounting, the DENR is okay with the P4.5 billion budget. But when we sought accounting by implementing the NGP in protected areas, you cut the budget for the program because you will be accounted for.)

Villar went on and told the DENR, “Hindi ko maiwasan na ‘yung isip ko ganyan. Nagdududa ako eh. Kasi pag ikaw nagma-mange ng business kailangan maduda ka. kasi kung hindi ka naging maduda lolokohin ka.”

(I can’t help but think that way. I find it doubtful. When you are managing a business, you need to be doubtful otherwise you will be fooled.)

During the deliberation of the 2023 budget in the Senate last year, Villar told the DENR to implement the NGP inside the protected areas as many senators question the implementation of the program.

She reiterated her concern that many lawmakers are questioning this program as there is no proper accountability for the greening project.

“Alam mo ang impression sa greening talaga sa inyo kalokohan ‘yan. Lahat ng tao. Kaya yung mga senador, ‘yan ang kinkuwestyon palagi kasi parang walang accountability ‘yung greening program,” she said.

“How will you know that you are greening? Eh sino ang pupunta sa forest para mag-inspeksyon ng greening?” she continued.

(People find this NGP nonsense. That’s why the senators are questioning it because there is no accountability on that project. How will we know that you are implementing the NGP?  Who will be willing to go to the forest to inspect that program?)

DENR Secretary Maria Antonia Yulo-Loyzaga confirmed that the budget for NGP in 2024 decreased and that they are “trying to make more efficient use of this resource.”

“On the accountability of the NGP, we are able to show that by satellite. We can actually provide your office with the location sites of the NGP and the protected areas. Naka-overlay po s’ya so you can actually see yung puntahan ng mga resources,” she said. —KBK, GMA Integrated News