Sotto hopes Duterte will veto P75 billion ‘pork’ in budget

MANILA, Philippines — Senate President Vicente Sotto III is hopeful President Duterte will use his veto power against questionable items, particularly the P75-billion pork barrel insertions, in the 2019 national budget.

Sotto said the Senate provided Executive Secretary Salvador Medialdea a copy of the portions of the budget which were allegedly altered in the House of Representatives even after both chambers had approved and ratified the bicameral conference committee report.

“I signed the budget but with annotation and explanation,” Sotto said in Filipino and English during an interview over dwIZ.

He added that Duterte is still studying the General Appropriations Bill for 2019.

“Medialdea had requested a list of altered items so they can refer to it quickly. It’s a good sign for me since it could be vetoed,” Sotto noted.

But the P75 billion will not be removed from the national budget, Sotto said. The amount will be included in the supplemental budget to be discussed in July during the 18th Congress, he added.

Sotto maintained that the Senate stood firm not to allow any alteration on the spending program, which has been approved and ratified during the bicameral conference committee.

He said any alteration is tantamount to violating the Constitution.

‘Pork not hijacked’

Meanwhile, the majority leader of the House denied yesterday the accusation of disgruntled lawmakers that billions in infrastructure and health funds have been “hijacked” from their districts and given to favored members.

“There is no truth to the allegations hurled by Camarines Sur Rep. Luis Raymund Villafuerte that the House leadership has taken away P92.3 billion from the 2019 national budget and distributed it to favored members,” Capiz Rep. Fredenil Castro said.

“I can say with authority that Rep. Villafuerte is peddling fake news. I pity my good friend L-Ray, but I understand where he is coming from. He is one of the former House leaders who stand to gain billions in projects had we not corrected the inequities in the National Expenditure Program (NEP),” Castro maintained.

The NEP was submitted to Congress in July last year by President Duterte.

Castro noted that Villafuerte was allocated P2.7 billion by the previous House leadership.

“Of this amount, P1.2 billion was included in the P75-billion insertion by former (budget secretary Benjamin Diokno), which (lawmakers) questioned and opposed during the budget deliberation,” he said.

Castro also said more than 24 House members received allocations ranging from P3 billion to P8.4 billion each.

“The current House leadership considers the wide discrepancy in the distribution of programs and projects as unconscionable… Based on the current guidelines, we made sure allocations were equitably distributed,” he added.

A list earlier released by appropriations committee chairman Rep. Rolando Andaya Jr. showed that former speaker Pantaleon Alvarez had the biggest allotment amounting to P8.4 billion.

Castro said if the House had not redistributed the funds, “the mind-boggling allocations for previous House leaders and their pet districts, plus (budget) insertions the (Department of Public Works and Highways) was clueless about, would have remained intact.”

“We made sure that the 2019 budget is not only constitutional and legal. It is also transparent, with the list of projects itemized per district. This way, our taxpayers will know who are accountable for these projects,” he said.

Castro said if Villafuerte “and other allies of the previous House leadership are not happy with their share of the national budget, there are more than 200 (lawmakers) who think otherwise.”

“Unlike before, programs and projects are now equitably funded for all legislative districts, regardless of their (political affiliation),” he said.

According to anti-pork Sen. Panfilo Lacson, the funds taken away from at least 62 districts were added to the allocations of House leaders and their allies.

Lacson and Sotto said scores of House members who lost funds complained to them.

Sotto named Rep. Raul Daza of Northern Samar and Rep. Aurora Cerilles of Zamboanga del Sur as among the complainants.

While it released the list of previous allocations topped by Alvarez, the House has not disclosed how it redistributed funds. – With Jess Diaz