‘Rehashed, skeleton’ infrastructure projects included in 2021 budget – Lacson

MANILA, Philippines — On the first day of deliberations on the P4.5-trillion 2021 budget bill yesterday, Sen. Panfilo Lacson bared several “skeleton” infrastructure projects for which millions of pesos in additional funding for next year are being sought.

Lacson also asked the plenary to scrutinize the 2021 General Appropriations Bill (GAB) for budget philosophies of reset, rebound and recover after illustrating how public funds are wasted in skeleton infrastructure.

He said there were some 5,913 “rehashed” projects, some of which were checked and verified randomly by a team from his office and showed there was no significant development.

Lacson said one of the projects was the Eastern Interior Bypass Road in Gusa Puerto/Junction Sayre Highway, Cagayan de Oro City. Funded in 2018 and 2020, it is to get P414.5 million in the 2021 budget bill.

“Are we going to appropriate again for next year P414 million after spending P1.3 to 1.4 billion for a project that is no longer feasible?” he asked.

He said the bypass highway, which his staff checked on two different dates – January 2019 and October 2020 – appeared to have barely any changes. “It is facing a dike, probably the bridge will cross the dike. But the district engineer claimed it was not feasible as they have to fix the dike first.

“If it does not reflect poor planning, I don’t know what is,” said Lacson.

Lacson presented pictures of several unfinished infrastructure projects including those in Pangasinan, La Union and Isabela.

Among these was an image of a multipurpose building in Bacnotan town in La Union, a project which already cost the government P15.6 million from 2017 to 2020. He said another P5 million was earmarked under the 2021 budget for its “completion.”

“As I mentioned, about P15.6 million has been spent. It still looks like that. It’s a skeleton structure as we speak,” Lacson noted.

Disparity in budget allocations

At the last part of his presentation, Lacson flagged the disparity in the proposed infrastructure allocations among congressional districts, which is included in the proposed budget transmitted to the Senate by the House of Representatives.

“A district of Davao has an appropriation of P15.351 billion for next year. One district in Albay (has) P7.5 billion. One district in Benguet, P7.9 billion. One district in Abra, P3.75 billion. That’s the honor roll,” he said.

“We also saw other districts, one of which has P82 million, another P42 million… What’s in those districts that would merit, not to mention absorptive capacity. If it will be given to an engineer in a district, I cannot see how that particular engineering district could implement the P15.35 billion of infrastructure project,” Lacson added.

He said these questionable items were included in the proposed budget amid a growing debt that hit P4.6 trillion during the pandemic, possibly ballooning to P12 trillion.

“We will work for loans because we need the money for the COVID-19. And yet see for yourselves how funds are being wasted. The proposed 2021 budget should be redirected to conform with the sign of the times,” he said.

Lacson suggested that part of at least P68 billion in skeleton infrastructure be realigned to projects such as the National Broadband Program of the Department of Information and Communications Technology.

He noted the 2020 UN e-government survey ranked the Philippines 77th out of 193 in e-govt development index, and 57th in e-participation index, while the country has a very highly developed human capital.

Telecommunications infrastructure, however, remains stalled.

Lacson said the government should invest in a national broadband program, considering that almost all agencies need online technology.