DAVAO CITY – There is still pork in the P3-Trillion proposed national budget for next year, a militant solon said Sunday.
Bayan Muna Representative Karlos Zarate said “the record-high P3-Trillion proposed national budget submitted by the Aquino administration that is up for consideration beginning today at the House of Representatives is still cured and littered with so much pork.”
“Nagsesebo sa dami ng lump-sum amounts ang 2016 National Expenditure Program (NEP) (With so much lump-sum amount, the 2016 National Expenditure Program is very oily),” Zarate said, adding that these allocations are spread to various departments from the Special Purpose Funds (SPFs).
“Lump sum allocations were a central issue in the 2015 budget deliberations because it bred corruption throughout the entire government bureaucracy. These large lump-sum amounts, which they slyly conceal in various departments as SPFs, that do not go through public and congressional scrutiny are the meal tickets of the corrupt,” Zarate said.
Zarate said they are alarmed as “the SPFs increased by P61.7 billion and now amounts to P430.4 billion in the NEP.”
He said these lump sum items are now “cleverly distributed” to various local government units, which jumped to a 500% increase from P15.3 billion to P56.5 billion in 2016.
“The Aquino government’s indulgence to local government units in the NEP seems like an advance campaigning for the Liberal Party, apparently to make up for the fact that their putative candidate is trailing in the surveys. This is a blatant use of public funds to ensure its continued grip to power, and, this must be exposed and opposed,” Zarate said.(davaotoday.com)
