Congress revives budget oversight

MANILA, Philippines - Lawmakers may have lost their discretion over billions of pesos in lump sum public funds, but they will continue to have a big say in the utilization of people’s money.

The Senate and the House of Representatives have revived the joint congressional oversight committee on government expenditures to monitor disbursements from the P2.268-trillion 2014 national budget.

Davao City Rep. Isidro Ungab, chairman of the House appropriations committee, said the panel was revived after the Supreme Court declared the Priority Development Assistance Fund (PDAF) or pork barrel unconstitutional.                                               

“It’s clear: the executive branch implements the law, the legislative branch legislates and conducts oversight,” Ungab told The STAR.

“The power of oversight is inherent in the powers of Congress. We will check the absorptive capacity of the departments after we have given them funds. We will also closely monitor the implementation of the projects listed in the GAA (General Appropriations Act),” he added.                                                 

Ungab said members of the House tions and Senate finance committees would comprise the oversight panel. He said the P100-billion rehabilitation fund for calamity-hit areas is among the items they will closely monitor.

He assured the public that the oversight panel would not violate the SC ruling, which barred lawmakers from any “post-enactment participation” in the GAA.

Ungab said Congress also activated the oversight panel to monitor the implementation of the multibillion-peso conditional cash transfer program.