Imee: House budget insertions drawn from pensions

MANILA, Philippines — About P10 billion of the P60 billion in last-minute insertions in the 2024 national budget by some members of the House of Representatives were drawn from funds intended for benefits and pensions of government workers and retired military personnel, Sen. Imee Marcos said yesterday.

In an interview over dzBB, Marcos said that as a result of the insertions, at least 16 percent of items or expenses in the General Appropriations Act (GAA) signed by President Marcos turned out be different from the National Expenditure Program he submitted to Congress.

“You’ll see the difference if you look at what the President had submitted as compared with the final version; almost 16 percent had been added. It’s just like printing money, but it’s actually slashing from the pension of workers, from retirement benefits of soldiers – some P10 billion – and large amounts removed from public works and foreign assisted projects,” she said.

She pointed out that even flagship projects were not sufficiently funded under the House version of the GAA.

During the Senate investigation on the signature drive for people’s initiative, senators stumbled upon a P26.7-billion allocation for the Department of Social Work and Development (DSWD)’s Ayuda Para sa Kapos ang Kita program or AKAP.

The senator said the DSWD must explain such allocation, as she called on the Department of Budget and Management (DBM) to refrain from releasing funds until clear regulations are established.

Marcos said the funds for other insertions were hidden in the P450-billion unprogrammed appropriations, which were also not in the original version of the budget submitted by Malacañang and approved by the Senate.

“What happened was this, while we’re carefully examining purchases and receipts, a robbery was going on at the back, at the bodega. That’s what happened,” she said.

On congressmen reminding her that she and her Senate colleagues signed the 2024 budget, Marcos said the senators gave their e-signatures to be attached to the bicameral report, not knowing that AKAP was in the budget.

“In the Senate, we never heard about it. We were surprised,” she said, referring to AKAP.

The government, meanwhile, has released 77.9 percent or P4.49 trillion of the record P5.768-trillion budget for the year as of January, as it moves to implement programs for various national and local agencies, DBM data show.

The released allocation represented a significant jump from 56.4 percent in the same period in 2023.

The DBM earlier said the huge budget release at the onset of the year aims to allow early implementation of projects and address the problem of under-spending.

Last year, government agencies recorded low budget utilization, which impacted growth, prompting the economic team to order them to come up with catch-up spending plans.

Under the 2024 GAA, the DBM said it has distributed 94.7 percent or P3.32 trillion of the P3.5 trillion for departments.

But in terms of special purpose funds, only 30.1 percent or P152.88 billion has been handed out from the P507.48-billion allocation.

On the other hand, automatic appropriations made up nearly 60 percent or P1.02 trillion of the P1.76-trillion aggregate funding.

Data also showed DBM’s release of the entire P65.79 billion for retirement and life insurance premiums for state workers.

The DBM also used up 34.6 percent or P12.62 billion of the P36.48 billion in special account in the general fund, inclusive of the P10 billion for the implementation of the Rice Competitiveness Enhancement Program.

The agency has yet to release any amount from the P670.47 billion for interest payments, as well as the P28.7 billion for net lending. — Louise Maureen Simeon