By RG Cruz, ABS-CBN News September 9, 2013
MANILA – The House of Representatives will pass the proposed 2014 national budget with the alleged presidential pork barrel funds intact.
This, despite the move of lawmakers to re-channel the P25.24 billion in priority development assistance funds (PDAF) to executive agencies to implement various infrastructure and social services projects in education and health.
The Appropriations panel will meet in executive session Tuesday on its committee report which will govern the plenary deliberations on the budget next week.
Committee Chair Isidro Ungab justified the decision to keep the presidential lump sums.
“There are valid explanations for lump sums of the Office of the President. We will take this up tomorrow,” he said.
Insofar as the pork barrel of lawmakers are concerned, Bayan Muna Rep. Neri Colmenares said there are only 3 options: delete the lump sum of P25.24 billion, return the budget to the President or itemize it.
“Decided na kami sa PDAF nang congressman. Tatanggalin na yung sa OP. Lump sum can be very well explained like calamity fund, kailangan lump sum. You don’t know when typhoons, calamities will come. Contingency fund lots of problems na foresee. Problem in Syria we… maybe evacuating. It’s a standby fund. No, we will not touch it. Pag di nagagamit babalik sa savings, sa general fund.”
Former National Treasurer Liling Briones previously identified some 1 trillion pesos in lump sums under President Aquino’s control in the 2014 budget. The amount includes special purpose funds like the calamity and contingency funds, unprogrammed funds and debt servicing funds.
Unprogrammed funds are only disbursed should certain government projects hit their revenue targets.
Budgetary support to gov’t corporations 45.7 billion pesos
allocation to LGUs 19.7 billion pesos
Calamity fund 7.5 billion pesos
Contingent fund 1 billion pesos
Department of Education School Bldg Program 1 billion pesos
E-gov’t fund 2.479 billion pesos
Int’lcommitments fund 4.8 billion pesos
Miscellaneous personnel benefits fund 80.7 billion pesos
Pension and gratuity fund 120.5 billion pesos
PDAF 25.420 billion pesos
feasibility studies fund 400 million pesos
total: 310.047 billion pesos
Unprogrammed fund:
Budgetary support to GOCCs 36.268 million pesos
support to foreign assisted projects 16.124 billion pesos
general fund adjustments 1 billion pesos
Support for infra projects and social programs 56.349 billion pesos
AFP modernization program 10.349 billion pesos
debt management program 10.894 billion pesos
Risk management program 30 billion pesos
People’s survival fund 500 million pesos
TOTAL: 139.904 billion pesos
(Figures are from former National Treasurer Leonor Briones of Social Watch).
Briones also lists debt servicing (P352 billion) and internal revenue allotment (P341.5 billion)
Interest payments for debt service: P352.7 Billion
Net lending: P24.9 billion
Internal revenue allotment: P341.5 billion
Employees’ retirement and life insurance premiums: P28.9 billion
Special accounts in the general fund: P21.1 billion
Tax expenditures: P26.9 billion ________________
Ph 796.0 billion
The National Expenditure Program proposes “a total of Ph 2.268 trillion” composed of:
New General Appropriations of Ph 1,611,874,584
Automatic Appropriations Ph 796,029,175
_______________
Total Available Appropriations Ph 2,407,903,759
Less: Unprogrammed Funds Ph 139,903,759 ________________
Total Expenditure Program Ph 2,268,000.000
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