Thursday, October 02, 2008 Lawmaker protests diversion of Road for Peace funds
NORTH Cotabato Representative Bernardo Piñol Jr. is questioning why funds intended for projects in Mindanao and other conflict-affected areas have been used to finance projects in non-conflict areas in Luzon and the Visayas.
In a memorandum for House Committee on Appropriations Chairman Representative Junie Cua, Piñol said the Department of Public Works and Highways (DPWH) has an allocation for "Roads to Support Peace and Development in Mindanao and Other Conflict Areas" amounting to more than P4 billion for 2008. Another P8 billion is proposed for 2009.
"It is insulting and downgrading to find that areas of conflict in Mindanao like Cotabato Province have not received any amount from the allocation ever since. Worst and ironical, many projects in Luzon and the Visayas have repeatedly earned hundreds of millions of pesos allocation from the said funds," Piñol said.
It was learned that Piñol recommended for the allocation of P200 million in the 2009 General Appropriations act for the concreting and partial completion of the Paco, Kidapawan City-Arakan Valley-Bukidnon and Davao City Road under this DPWH allocation.
"Government neglect of this stretch of national highway made it easy for communist rebels to convince some people to support their cause. On the other hand, Muslim separatists have made the area as their expansion target," he said.
In support of Piñol's move, the Provincial Board (PB) of North Cotabato passed a joint resolution, asking the Senate to investigate this discrepancy in the allocation of funds by the DPWH.
In his statement, Vice Governor Emmanuel Piñol said this is an\ther case of some sectors capitalizing on the misfortune of Mindanaoans.
"A list of projects funded under these Roads to Support Peace and Development in Mindanao and other Conflict Affected Areas show projects being funded by the millions in Ilocos Norte and Ilocos Sur. Since when have these provinces been conflict affected areas?" asked the vice governor, the congressman's elder brother.
"This is highly irregular and needs to be looked into by the Senate," the elder Piñol said. (BOT)
