Militant lawmakers say P10-billion stimulus package to benefit politicians

The P10-billion economic stimulus fund in the proposed P1.415-trillion budget for this year might only be used for election purposes, militant congressmen said yesterday.

Bayan Muna Rep. Satur Ocampo told a news conference that he and his colleagues fear that “since 2009 is a pre-election year, the fund might be used for the political advantage of the administration and not for helping our people cope with economic difficulties.”

Ocampo, one of the minority representatives in the Senate-House conference committee on the budget, said the joint committee chairmen, Sen. Edgardo Angara and Quirino Rep. Junie Cua, kept the details of the outlay from members of the panel.

“This budget did not go through democratic discussions. We met only once, and then Sen. Angara and Rep. Cua had one-on-one meetings. Several of us in the minority objected to their report,” he said.

Rep. Teodoro Casiño, also of Bayan Muna, said the so-called economic stimulus fund is a “political stimulus package.”

“It will benefit politicians and their contractors. It will be used for projects that have political impact and where there are kickbacks,” he said.

He also said it is not clear whether the economic crisis budget is P10 billion, P30 billion or P50 billion.

“The joint chairmen (Angara and Cua) are talking about an amount as big as P30 billion, sometimes P50 billion, but what is clear in the proposed 2009 budget is that there is only P10 billion and P70 million to be exact,” he added.

“The confusion is the result of lack of transparency in the conference committee meetings on the budget,” he stressed.

The P10.070-billion economic stimulus fund is a creation of the Senate, which also determined the programs and projects for which it would be used.

Of that amount, P3 billion would be given to the Department of Education to augment its P2-billion school building fund. A big part would be used for medicine and medical supplies, for Senate-initiated programs called “Talinong Pinoy” and “Kabataang Pinoy” as well as for job training for displaced workers.

Another member of the House minority, Bukidnon Rep. Teofisto Guingona III, said the confusion over the final shape of the 2009 budget should prompt the Senate and the House to observe transparency in future budget discussions.

“Let us not hold secret meetings. Let us inform the media and the public about our meetings and what is going on because it is the people’s money that we are talking about,” he said.

He said the budget document should clearly show “insertions” and their authors.

He lamented that the recent conference committee meetings and similar conferences held in the past did not even have records or minutes of proceedings.

He added that such conferences are kept secret “because there is so much horse-trading taking place.” 

Inflationary

Former national treasurer Leonor Briones warned yesterday of the inflationary effects of the approved version of the P1.415-trillion budget, particularly the inclusion of a stimulus fund.

Even to some lawmakers, the source of the crisis fund is still unclear.

Briones said the stimulus fund would be taken from debt service interest payments and from other departments.

Last week, Sen. Panfilo Lacson noted that more than P50 billion would be drawn from interest payments.

She said President Arroyo may not be willing to reduce debt service interest payment.

“What the President will do, as she has done before, she will veto the reduction,” Briones said. The former treasurer said reducing debt payment would raise government expenditure.

“Increase in expenditure will also have an inflationary effect, lulubog tayo sa utang (we will be buried in debt),” Briones said.

Briones and Lacson were guests at yesterday’s Kapihan sa Manila Hotel media forum.

“When the President eventually vetoes the cut made by Congress from the debt service without reducing the same amount from the line item to which they are now re-appropriated, the 2009 GAA becomes constitutionally infirm,” Lacson told reporters. “That’s where the danger lies.” – With Helen Flores and Pia Lee-Brago