2015 budget filled with pork barrel funds – watchdog

MANILA, Philippines - The 2015 budget is still filled with pork barrel funds despite the Supreme Court (SC) decision declaring the Disbursement Acceleration Program (DAP) and the Priority Development Assistance Fund (PDAF) as unconstitutional, according to a budget watchdog.

“Several budget vulnerabilities are apparent,” according to an analysis by Social Watch Philippines (SWP).

SWP lead convenor Leonor Briones said the bicameral conference committee report on the budget skirted the SC decision when it raised the PDAF-like funds in at least five agencies to P47.18 billion from the House-approved P37.33 billion.

“The executive originally proposed a total of P33.38 billion in the National Expenditure Program; this translates into a total increase of P13.46 billion from the budget proposed by the executive,” Briones said.

She said cross-border transfers, which was cited as one of the reasons for the unconstitutionality of the DAP, were also legitimized in the 2015 budget. She cited a special provision in certain special purpose funds which allows the executive to declare them as savings “to augment deficiency” in the budget of the executive, legislative and judiciary, including constitutional commissions and offices.

Briones cited the E-Government Fund, International Commitments Fund, Miscellaneous Personnel Benefits Fund, National Disaster Risk Reduction Management Fund, Pension and Gratuity Fund and Rehabilitation and Reconstruction Program.

“There are provisions which are very vague in the budget. In Section 69(a)(b), there are no restrictions to deficiencies brought about by ‘justified’ modifications or adjustments for programs, activities and projects. How are ‘justified causes’ identified? There are no guidelines on this,” she said.

She said the meaning and declaration of savings is also not clear. “Though the phrase ‘at any time’ is removed from the original provision…the qualifier ‘during the validity of appropriations’ in Sec. 68 still implies the intention to declare savings at any time of the year,” she said.

“There should be a clear provision on when savings should be declared. Ideally, it should be declared at the end of the year following the usual meaning of ‘savings.’ If ‘savings’ can be declared at any time of the year and realigned whichever way the executive pleases, the 2015 General Appropriations Act becomes superficial and the Congress loses the power of the purse,” said Briones.

The group said the 2015 budget goes against the balance of powers among the branches of government, with the legislative surrendering the power of appropriation to the executive.

“Ironically, it is Congress that is facilitating its loss of power. They are rewording the provisions to skirt around the SC decisions to legitimize what is unconstitutional. It is like saying that if someone is guilty of murder or theft, we simply change what ‘murder’ and ‘theft’ mean so the person is no longer guilty. This change of definition and its implications is nothing short of betrayal to the Filipino people and our interests,” said Briones.