Some DAP projects are good

Going through the list of DAP projects released on the government website reveals a number of good projects. That brings up the question: if these projects are so good, why were they not presented to Congress for regular appropriation?

I don’t have the answer to that question. I can only presume they only thought of the projects belatedly or after the budget had been presented and approved by Congress. My problem with that explanation is that most of these projects in the DAP list are things that should have been done a long time ago so why the omission in the regular budget?

Take the DAP items to improve our ability to forecast adverse weather conditions… that’s not a new concern and no senator or congressman in his right mind will oppose appropriating necessary funds for this purpose. Indeed, we can see the benefits of improving our weather forecasting ability from actual recent experiences.

During the height of Typhoon Glenda, CNN used a radar map which it properly attributed to our weather bureau and Project NOAH. That’s a welcome change. We used to depend on CNN for such information. And the graphics in the weather map looked world class.

So, what happened? I noticed three DAP funded projects that are apparently making a big difference in our weather forecasting abilities. Number 29 - DOST: Establishment of National Meteorological and Climate center with state of the art IT facilities and research laboratories. This is expected to conduct weather and climate modeling and prediction as well as research and training on various weather climate hazards. DAP FUNDING: P275 million.

Number 30 - DOST Enhancement of Doppler Radar Network for National Weather Watch. Project will provide accurate forecasting and flood early warning... It involves the acquisition of state of the art Doppler radars and the establishment of three Doppler weather radar stations in our Western seaboard in order to make weather forecasting more accurate. DAP FUNDING: P150 million.

Number 43 – DOST Nationwide Disaster Risk, Exposure, Assessment and Mitigation (DREAM) otherwise known as the National 3D Mapping Project. It will be very helpful in the modeling of floods and simulation of possible solutions. It aims to acquire a national elevation and resource information dataset in three dimensions at sufficient detail and resolution from which various base and thematic map features can be extracted. Also it can be used for agricultural natural resources management, infrastructure planning, tax mapping, defense and others.  DAP FUNDING P1.6 billion.

DAP funding is clearly helping to vastly improve our scientific and technical capabilities to forecast weather changes. This is taxpayer money well spent. Of course we have to see COA audit reports on how they handled implementation. But the positive results of the projects are now being felt.

But if Malacañang thinks releasing that list is enough compliance to the public’s demand for transparency in the expenditure of DAP funds, they are mistaken. The list is just a bare listing of projects with aggregate amounts allocated and released. We need more details on how the projects were carried out.

The various releases to DPWH, for instance, have to be substantiated with more data on specific projects. The allocations for LRTA to rehabilitate lines 1 and 2 show that the best intentions for quick disbursement (and delivery of benefit to end-users) can be negated by failure of line agencies to implement.

The large lump sums given to NHA for various projects need to have more details. How many medium rise buildings to house squatters from North Triangle were actually constructed? How many families benefited? We need similar data on NHA’s mandate to build housing for families living dangerously along waterways, etc.

 I am not sure government should be funding stem cell research but since DAP apparently funded one such effort for P70 million, is there at least a report on how this was undertaken? Anything useful that came out of it?

This “Integrated Community-based Multi Species Hatchery and Aquasilviculture Farming program” of the DA sounds like something a Napoles NGO would be exploiting at a DAP funding of P1.6 billion. Tell us results. Tell us nothing went to a Napoles NGO. Tell us who were benefited and where.

The almost P8.6 billion of DAP funds that went to ARMM for Comprehensive Peace and Development Intervention… we want to know specifics, since ARMM had been a blackhole for government funds since the beginning.

The point here is that more transparency in how DAP funds were used is needed. Constitutional or not, our money has been spent and we have the right to know for what and who was paid out of our Treasury. We need to see the complete picture and not just convenient snap shots here and there.

Of course it should help immensely if COA is already undertaking an extensive audit and could report findings to the public quickly. Maybe what is needed next time is better budget preparation so that the worthy projects are included and there will be no need to have another DAP.

I am ready to concede that neither P-Noy nor Butch Abad personally made an illegal centavo out of DAP. But I am not sure about other officials down the line who implemented the projects.

This is why we need the Freedom of Information Act. If P-Noy is sure FOI will be passed before the end of his term, why not now? Delaying passage to 2016 could be taken to mean P-Noy has something to hide. Where is the good faith there?

Karaoke palace

As if that karaoke session during the Obama state dinner was not cringeworthy enough, my fly on the wall informs me that they did it again at the Palace during the visit of the World Bank President.

They carefully screened the participants to the so-called Daylight Dialogue with the World Bank President but my fly in the wall managed to get in and here is his report:

I thought the menu might be Dinuguan At Puto (or DAP) but, shucks, it wasn’t. It ended up to be a “karaoke” session towards the end.

WB President Jim Yong Kim turned out to be a competent singer and belted out My Way with My Way proponent Butch Abad (palace security ensured that no one, not even Butch, was shot). Cesar P did a truly credible rendition of a Chinese song (in Chinese. I guess he’s well tutored by his FilChinese buddies at CATS Motors).

The WB contingent did their number (Let it Be- don’t know if it was a subliminal message to Dr. Jim Yong Kim about the recent WB reorganization). Justice Sec de Lima led a chorus of Cabinet ladies in what seemed like an upbeat legal opinion set to music.

P-Noy did a duet with Sec. Almendras to wrap things up (no, it wasn’t the Ayala Corp. or BPI jingle...I think, but who knows).

I refrained from joining the Amateur Hour because, well, it was amateur hour at the Palace and we are tired of that. I overheard Kim Henares at the next table who regaled (or further intimidated) her captive audience with tales of her shooting range prowess. Whatever...I nevertheless quickly hid my inherited Rolex watch and I-Phone 5 in my pocket from her prying eyes to avoid her spotting anything hinting of further taxabililty.

Arranged marriage

A reader sent me an e-mail complaining about the disappearance of the jokes at the end of my column. I thought writing about DAP and our politicians is joke enough. But here’s one from one of my e-groups but slightly altered to avoid accusations of not being politically correct.

 A good traditional and religious family is most concerned that their 30-year-old son is unmarried. So, they call a marriage broker and ask him to find their son a good wife.

The broker comes over to their house and spends a long time asking questions of the son and his parents as to what they want in a wife/daughter-in-law.

 They give him a long shopping list of requirements. The marriage broker takes a long time looking, and finally asks to visit the family again.

 He then tells them of a wonderful woman he has found. He says she’s just the right age for the son. She keeps a good home, she regularly attends church and knows the prayers by heart, and she’s a wonderful cook. She loves children and wants a large family. And, to crown it all off, she’s gorgeous.

After hearing all this, the family is very impressed and begins to get excited about the prospects of a wedding in the near future.

But the son pauses and asks inappropriately: “Is she also good in bed?”

The marriage broker answers, “Some say yes, some say no...”

Boo Chanco’s e-mail address is [email protected]. Follow him on Twitter @boochanco