REGIONAL Development Council (RDC) 7 officials expressed disappointment upon learning that the National Government appropriated only P7 billion for infrastructure development in Cebu for the fiscal year 2019. Businessman Glenn Soco, chair of the infrastructure and development committee (IDC), questioned why Davao City got some P45 to P60 billion and Cagayan De Oro City got P30 to P40 billion when Cebu is more progressive compared to these areas.
Soco blamed the Department of Public Works and Highways (DPWH) 7 under the leadership of former director Ador Canlas. He said that Canlas was “under-performing” and this is the result we got a lower budget because Canlas refused to attend RDC meetings. I think Mr. Soco is talking nonsense. If there was a problem in securing a huge budget for the ambitious infrastructure projects in Cebu or in the entire region, the present composition of RDC, especially Soco and co-chair Kenneth Cobonpue, were partly to be blamed. Why? Because the blocked projects were initiated by the adversaries of their principal, Presidential Assistant for the Visayas Michael Dino. Cobonpue and Soco were Dino’s recommendations to the RDC.
Why solely blame the DPWH when there are other national agencies, the executive department and Congress, which are “calling the shots” as far as budgeting is concerned. The role of the DPWH regional office is just to collate proposals from local government units, congressmen and civil society groups but the final say is with their central office.
Here is the process in securing budget just in case Cobonpue and Soco do not know about it. When the budget process starts usually in January or February, all proposals coming from different sectors (congressmen, LGUs and civil society groups) are collated and presented as the proposed Programs, Activities and Projects (Paps). They will then be presented to a stakeholders’ meeting that the DPWH conducts.
Endorsements from the city, municipal and provincials councils are then secured first as requirements before the DPWH submits them to the RDC for their endorsement. The RDC requires the IDC (presently headed by Soco) before it gives its endorsement. When the RDC endorsement is secured, the PAPs are then submitted to the DPWH central office, which subsequently submits them to the Department of Budget and Management, which sets the budget ceiling. The DPWH sets the ceiling for its region.
Once the DBM comes up with a proposed budget, it then submits to the executive department or to the Office of the President. It will be included in the national annual budget or the National Expenditures Program, which will be deliberated first by the House of Representatives based on a Constitutional provision. The national annual budget is usually submitted by the President to Congress during the opening of the regular session on the fourth Monday of July when the chief executive delivers his State of the Nation Address.
With that process, can you blame the DPWH regional office when everything depends on their central office? Besides, when the Paps were presented by DPWH before the RDC meetings, why did Cobonpue and Soco not raise the issue of the low budget for Cebu? Because they don’t know the process? Had they not blocked the projects of Cebu city North District Rep. Raul del Mar, like his proposal to build a tunnel and underground as a component of the mass transport system and flyovers, Cebu might have gotten a bigger share. But they blocked Del Mar’s projects because he is associated with the nemesis of Cobonpue and Soco’s principal, the “former political has-been.” Soco claimed they did not approve Del Mar’s projects because there were no feasibility studies. But Del Mar claimed the feasibility studies of his projects were underway. He submitted a proposed budget of about P92.5 billion. Imagine if that could have been approved. But what about those projects initiated by your allies, does it have feasibility studies too, Mr. Soco?
Why did Davao and Cagayan de Oro get the big chunk of the infrastructure budget compared to Cebu’s? Because of politics. President Duterte and ousted House Speaker Pantaleon Alvarez are from Davao, while former Senate President Koko Pimentel hails from Cagayan de Oro. The budget was prepared when Alvarez and Pimentel were still in power so it was easy for them to make insertions. Kung ikaw ma-presidente Boss Glenn natural unahon nimo ang Mandaue City. But why don’t you ask Dino to initiate more projects for Cebu so that we will be given a huge budget? Cobonpue and Soco are successful businessmen, but the workings in government is another ballgame. You have to deal with bureaucracy, red tape, double-dealing and politics.