Amendments on 2019 budget will be itemized, Andaya assures

MAJORITY Leader Rolando Andaya Jr. said Wednesday, September 19, that the amendments approved by the House committee of the whole on the proposed 2019 budget will be itemized and there will be no post-enactment identification budgeting.

He said the post-enactment identification is prohibited, stressing: "Spelled out dapat."

Andaya admitted, however, that there are augmentations that will be hard to itemize.

“In the case of the calamity fund augmentation for Ompong rehabilitation, there is no comprehensive damage assessment yet which can guide as to what projects will be undertaken,” he said.

Critics claimed Tuesday that the P51.79-billion budget allocation for the Department of Public Works and Highway (DPWH) realigned to other agencies by the House of Representatives is a form of pork barrel, the discretionary and lump sum type of funds declared unconstitutional by the Supreme Court in 2013.

The House of Representatives’ move to realign the said allocation last Tuesday, September 18, stemmed from the discovery that there is an alleged P55 billion worth of insertions in the budget for the DPWH that would allegedly benefit the district of some lawmakers who are allies of former House Speaker Pantaleon Alvarez.

READ: P51-B from DPWH budget funneled to education, agri, health

Andaya assured the public that the General Appropriations Bill (GAB) will comply with the laws on public expenditures.

“Di ba sa Senate, ginagawa nila yan, every end of a hearing for an agency, some senators would call for an increase of the budget of a certain program, or question the cuts proposed in the budget. The Senate is not calling for the rubber-stamp approval of the budget. And when they propose changes, they view it as vigilance, while when the same thing is done by the House, it is met by suspicion. Mali naman yata yon,” he added.

Senator Ping Lacson on Tuesday vowed to fight the realignment of billions in “pork” from the P3.757-trillion 2019 budget once the GAB reaches the senate.

The Makabayan bloc likewise opposed this move by the House of Representatives. It said the funds will likely be used for the upcoming campaign period.

“Committee on Appropriations chairman Representative Karlo Nograles himself said that the P55-billion largesse is the request of Malacanang and it should not be touched. This will give President Duterte tremendous presidential pork and a sizable campaign kitty for his candidates... Majority leader Representative Rolando Andaya Jr. and other pro-Arroyo congressmen, on the other hand, say that the amount should be distributed to all House members,” the bloc members said in a joint statement.

The coalition added that the clash over the alleged pork is a classic example of bureaucrat capitalism where the hard-earned funds of the people are being fought over and divided by politicians.

“The national budget should be used for the direct benefit of the Filipino people and not for campaign funds for the coming elections nor further fattening the pockets of politicians,” said the coalition composed of Bayan Muna Representative Carlos Isagani Zarate, ACT Teachers partylist Representatives Antonio Tinio and France Castro, Gabriela Women's Party Representatives Emmi de Jesus and Arlene Brosas, Anakpawis partylist Representative Ariel Casilao, and Kabataan partylist Representative Sarah Elago.

The plenary deliberations on the proposed 2019 budget is ongoing as of this posting Wednesday afternoon, September 19.

The House leadership eyes the approval of the bill creating the 2019 budget before October 12. (SunStar Philippines)