In lieu of DAP, Noy seeks supplemental budget

MANILA, Philippines - Apparently preparing for a possible rejection of his appeal on the Disbursement Acceleration Program (DAP), President Aquinio announced in his State of the Nation Address (SONA) yesterday that he would seek a supplemental budget from Congress to get some projects going.

With Chief Justice Maria Lourdes Sereno in the audience, the President did not mention the DAP in his 90-minute SONA. But he touted programs known to be funded by the stimulus program, the furor over which brought his peak 77 percent trust ratings to 55 percent recently.

“The people should not be deprived of services, so we need a supplemental budget to ensure services don’t get stalled,” he said.

He added Congress should issue a joint resolution clearly defining accumulated savings.

With his pitching for a supplemental budget, Aquino indicated readiness to face whatever decision the Supreme Court (SC) issues on his appeal of the high court’s unanimous July 1 ruling against DAP.

Palace officials had earlier said they would bow to the final ruling of the SC.

Aquino said the Department of Budget and Management has prepared its proposed national budget for 2015 pegged at P2.6 trillion.

He also hinted at supporting a bill that would delineate budgetary functions, so as to give the executive department more leeway in addressing pressing concerns of the state, without ignoring Congress’ authority.

Silent on judiciary

Unlike in his July 24 televised national address where he made scathing remarks against SC justices – including his four appointees – Aquino was silent about his misunderstanding with the judiciary yesterday.

Nowhere in his speech did he mention the judiciary, which he had warned of a constitutional crisis if the ruling on DAP is not reversed.

Instead, he vented his ire on his critics whom he described as a “noisy few.”

He again defended his four-year record on good governance and even took a swipe at media for its negative reports.

“The news is full of negativism. They are the ones making noises in their own world,” Aquino said.

He said negative reports were “becoming more frequent, searing, and intense.”

“They’re desperate. Why are they angry? Because their businesses are getting affected,” he declared. “Lahat sila nagkukutsabahan para iligaw tayo sa ligaw na landas (They’re colluding with one another to lead us to the road to nowhere).”

“The truth is they had been hitting us even before we took office,” he said.

He said he is determined to face his accusers. “Iilan lang sila at di hamak na napakarami natin (They’re just a few, and we outnumber them),” he said. Marvin Sy, JessDiaz