DBM bans consumables in congressional earmarks

MANILA, Philippines - Lawmakers are no longer allowed to use public funds for consumable soft projects such as donations of fertilizers, seeds and medicinal kits, dentures, training materials and sponsorship of sports leagues and similar activities.

The Department of Budget and Management (DBM) is limiting the projects that legislators can implement using public funds, according to DBM data obtained by The STAR.

The DBM said these projects, which were previously allowed, could no longer be pursued using public funds, because in the past it was difficult to prove if they went to their intended beneficiaries.

Aside from these soft projects, the DBM said temporary infrastructure projects that have been proven to be susceptible to overpricing and kickbacks are also no longer allowed. These infrastructure projects are road widening and graveling projects, canal dredging and desilting, and temporary bridges.

The DBM also would no longer allow the use of non-government organizations (NGOs) as conduits for the implementation of projects.

The DBM is tightening the rules on the use of the controversial Priority Development Assistance Fund (PDAF) following the testimonies of whistle-blowers that businesswoman Janet Lim-Napoles siphoned billions in lawmakers’ funds to bogus NGOs she allegedly created.

In a speech at the government’s economic forum last month, Budget Secretary Florencio Abad declared the pork barrel fund has already been deleted from the national budget.

“The P25.2-billion PDAF has been stricken out of the proposed budget for 2014, and realigned to regular programs of key social and economic service delivery departments, which have been given full discretion to utilize them for poverty reduction programs. Of course, this is just one step of the many towards the timely approval of the 2014 General Appropriations Act before this year ends,” he said.

In a separate interview, Abad said lawmakers would now have to propose their projects during the budget process so that these could be subject to scrutiny and avoid realignment in the future.

On the part of the Senate, lawmakers will have to decide on what to do with their pork barrel funds.

Senate President Franklin Drilon said there are at least 17 senators now who are willing to do away with this fund in the national budget.

Drilon admitted the 17 was an “unofficial” count since the senators have yet to discuss the issue and come up with a decision.

In previous statements, Drilon said the senators could either realign the PDAF item in the proposed P2.268-trillion national budget for 2014 to the government agencies for the implementation of certain projects, or choose to abolish the entire item.

For the entire Congress, the allocation for PDAF in the 2014 national budget would be a little over P25 billion.

A decision to abolish the P25 billion by the entire Congress would mean the 2014 General Appropriations Act (GAA) would go down to P2.243 billion.

Drilon told ANC yesterday that it is possible the Senate could decide to abolish a portion of the PDAF allocated to the senators, specifically the amount for the senators who would vote to abolish the fund.

Each senator is allocated P200 million in PDAF under the proposed 2014 national budget, so for all 24 of them the total allocation would be P4.8 billion.

Drilon said the process of abolishing the PDAF would be fairly simple as far as the Senate is concerned because all the senators have to do is manifest their intention to give up their respective allocations.

“By a manifestation, by a resolution or the alternative is for the senators who are allocated P200 million could manifest that he will amend the budget to delete P200 million so that the budget is reduced by P200 million. If let’s say there are 24 senators would say delete the PDAF, that’s P4.8 billion; therefore you reduce the budget by P4.8 billion,” Drilon said.         â€“ Marvin Sy