DAP petitioner to SC: Scrap another Aquino power

MANILA, Philippines — A defeated senatorial candidate who nonetheless won in his petition challenging the Aquino administration's Disbursement Acceleration Program (DAP) has filed a motion for partial reconsideration before the Supreme Court.

In a 23-page petition, Greco Belgica, through his lawyers Harry Roque, Joel Ruiz Butuyan and Roger Rayel, asked the Supreme Court on Monday to prevent President Aquino from augmenting funds for approved government projects exceeding the original allocation under the General Appropriations Act.

In a statement posted on Roque's site, Belgica urged the high court in the petition to make a definite ruling on the power of the president to increase the funds to cover a deficit in a program, activity or project despite the cap under the annual appropriations law.

Belgica cited instances when Aquino supposedly exceeded funding under the GAA to boost projects such as the DREAM Project of the of Department of Science and Technology and the Repair of the Philippine National Police Crime Laboratory.

He argued that the power violates mechanisms for checks and balances under the Constitution and opens the budget process to abuse.

"To do so would mean giving the President more money for a project that he failed to properly assess and evaluate how much it would cost to implement," Belgica said in the petition.

The petitioner also slammed Aquino's supporters in appealing the Supreme Court's ruling declaring acts and practices under DAP unconstitutional.

Also read: Supreme Court: Acts under DAP unconstitutional

Questioning the high court's decision, Aquino earlier defended the economic stimulus package on national television based Section 49 of Book VI of the Administrative Code of 1987.

Belgica said, however, that the same administrative provision requires savings-funded obligations be incurred "during a current fiscal year or previous fiscal years."