Petition vs lump sums a political thing – SB

MANILA, Philippines - A petition asking the Supreme Court (SC) to stop the Aquino administration from using multibillion-peso lump sums in this year’s national budget “is just another political thing,” Speaker Feliciano Belmonte Jr. said yesterday.

Belmonte was referring to the petition of the Philippine Constitution Association for an SC temporary restraining order (TRO) on the implementation of Sections 65, 70 and 73 of the 2015 General Appropriations Act (GAA) and its provisions for special purpose funds.

“I think that’s just another political thing, because the SC never said that lump sums are banned because some of them, by sheer common sense, have to exist, like the Calamity Fund and stuff like that,” Belmonte told reporters.

“I’m very confident that the government would be able to tackle that issue very easily,” he said.

The House leader earlier said the chamber would comply with an SC order directing the executive and the legislative branches of government to explain allegations that certain provisions in the 2015 GAA were a revival of the outlawed Priority Development Assistance Fund (PDAF) and the Disbursement Acceleration Program (DAP).

Several anti-corruption groups led by former national treasurer Leonor Briones raised the allegations that certain provisions in this year’s GAA were PDAF in disguise.

Also asked to respond to the petition – aside from Belmonte – were Executive Secretary Paquito Ochoa Jr., Budget Secretary Florencio Abad and Senate President Franklin Drilon.

The petition questioned Sections 70 and 73 of the GAA, the National Budget Circular No. 559 (NBC 559) and some provisions under the Special Purpose Fund.

Section 70 defines savings as portions or balances of any unreleased appropriations in the budget law which have not been obligated, while Section 73 specifies the rules in the realignment of allotment classes and reprioritization of items in the appropriations.

The petitioners said the sections gave the leaders of the executive and legislative branches too much discretion over budget lump sums.

House appropriations committee chairman Davao City Rep. Isidro Ungab made clear there are now only a few lump sums in the P2.606-trillion 2015 national budget.

“The only lump sums are appropriations which by their very nature cannot be disaggregated or detailed, like the calamity fund, the contingent fund and the international commitments fund,” Ungab said.

Following the SC rulings on PDAF and DAP, Ungab said the House and the Senate tried as much as possible to require agencies to state in detail the expenses for projects, programs and activities.

He said this is the reason the national budget program has grown from just one three-inch-thick document to several volumes.

He added that the listing of public works and road projects alone is almost one-inch thick.

He pointed out that in some cases where the list is too long to be reflected in the budget, the project details are with the agencies.

“The budget was enacted in accordance with the proper legislative process and prevailing rules, laws and jurisprudence,” Ungab stressed.

The SC struck down the PDAF as unconstitutional in November 2013, ruling that appropriations should as much as possible be supported with details of projects, programs and activities to be funded.

Last year, the high tribunal declared four practices under DAP as unconstitutional, while not discrediting the economic stimulus program itself.

Such practices included impounding appropriations and declaring them as savings before the end of the year.