Drilon places Gloria poll war chest at P150B – Malaya 11.29.2006
BY DENNIS GADIL
PRESIDENT Arroyo has P150 billion in discretionary funds which she could realign to boost the chances of administration candidates in the 2007 polls, Sen. Franklin Drilon yesterday said.
Drilon, chair of the finance committee, said there is nothing the Senate or he can do about it.
"Certainly she could realign these and use them for election spending. Her discretion is absolute. There will be debates on her motives (in realigning the funds) but her discretion is there," he said.
Drilon said that while his committee has imposed restrictions on the use of the funds, he is not confident that these restrictions would be effective, especially during an election year.
He said bicameral deliberations on the proposed P1.126 trillion budget for 2007 could again be deadlocked over pork barrel and discretionary funds.
He said the impasse might not be resolved unless Malacañang intervened.
If the deadlock is not resolved, he warned, the 2005 budget would be reenacted again.
He urged Arroyo to "tell her allies (in the House) to keep within the President’s budget."
On Monday, Senate President Manuel Villar said senators would consider abolishing their pork barrel as long as Malacañang would also give up its discretionary funds.
The discretionary funds were identified in the following outlays:
* Pension and gratuity funds, P15 billion.
* Miscellaneous funds, P5 billion.
* Calamity fund, P1 billion.
* Contingent fund, P800 million.
* Intelligence and confidential funds, P650 million.
* Capital outlay, P107 billion.
* Unprogrammed funds, P30.5 billion.
Drilon said he did not propose to cut or realign the discretionary funds because doing so would only delay deliberations in the Senate and in the bicameral conference committee.
The Senate is eyeing approval of its version of the budget by Dec. 4 and the ratification of the bicameral version by Dec. 21.
Sen. Miriam Defensor-Santiago, who blew the whistle on the P8 billion increase made by the House on the proposed 2007 budget, said the budget of the Department of Public Works and Highways was padded by P7.7 billion.
She said the DPWH was originally given a P65 billion outlay but in the House version, it was increased to P73 billion.
Santiago feared that the added amount would be turned into extra "pork barrel" on top of the regular Priority Development Assistance Funds allotted to lawmakers.
"How much of this fund will go to the pork barrel of favored legislators? How much of the fund will go to favored local officials?" she asked.
Santiago was also incensed by a special provision in the DPWH budget which gives the public works secretary the authority to realign funds.
"This special provision is a clear violation of the Constitution, which provides that no law should be passed authorizing any transfer of appropriations," she said.
President Arroyo ordered government agencies to spend more funds for agriculture and social services to expand government’s targets for poverty alleviation.
Presidential chief of staff Michael Defensor said Arroyo allocated P1 billion a month for irrigation projects and farm-to-market roads in the North Luzon and Mindanao super regions to boost food production.
Defensor said backyard vegetable farms will be expanded well above the current 17,000 target.
He said President Arroyo has raised the target for microfinance borrowers since the two-million target for 2004-2010 has been exceeded. The new goal is three million.
He said the target outlets of low-cost medicine will be raised from 14,000 to 30,000.
He said the Technical Education and Skills Development Authority (Tesda) will also set a target higher that the original 80,000 for scholarships.
Defensor said the President has also ordered the health, education, social welfare departments and Tesda to accelerate the use of their budgets for socio-economic programs.
He said the agencies have slowed down the use of their budget to less than 30 percent.
"Nabigla yata ang mga ahensiya…Di na-monitor ang social services so nagkaroon ng slippage," he said. – With Regina Bengco
PRESIDENT Arroyo has P150 billion in discretionary funds which she could realign to boost the chances of administration candidates in the 2007 polls, Sen. Franklin Drilon yesterday said.
Drilon, chair of the finance committee, said there is nothing the Senate or he can do about it.
"Certainly she could realign these and use them for election spending. Her discretion is absolute. There will be debates on her motives (in realigning the funds) but her discretion is there," he said.
Drilon said that while his committee has imposed restrictions on the use of the funds, he is not confident that these restrictions would be effective, especially during an election year.
He said bicameral deliberations on the proposed P1.126 trillion budget for 2007 could again be deadlocked over pork barrel and discretionary funds.
He said the impasse might not be resolved unless Malacañang intervened.
If the deadlock is not resolved, he warned, the 2005 budget would be reenacted again.
He urged Arroyo to "tell her allies (in the House) to keep within the President’s budget."
On Monday, Senate President Manuel Villar said senators would consider abolishing their pork barrel as long as Malacañang would also give up its discretionary funds.
The discretionary funds were identified in the following outlays:
* Pension and gratuity funds, P15 billion.
* Miscellaneous funds, P5 billion.
* Calamity fund, P1 billion.
* Contingent fund, P800 million.
* Intelligence and confidential funds, P650 million.
* Capital outlay, P107 billion.
* Unprogrammed funds, P30.5 billion.
Drilon said he did not propose to cut or realign the discretionary funds because doing so would only delay deliberations in the Senate and in the bicameral conference committee.
The Senate is eyeing approval of its version of the budget by Dec. 4 and the ratification of the bicameral version by Dec. 21.
Sen. Miriam Defensor-Santiago, who blew the whistle on the P8 billion increase made by the House on the proposed 2007 budget, said the budget of the Department of Public Works and Highways was padded by P7.7 billion.
She said the DPWH was originally given a P65 billion outlay but in the House version, it was increased to P73 billion.
Santiago feared that the added amount would be turned into extra "pork barrel" on top of the regular Priority Development Assistance Funds allotted to lawmakers.
"How much of this fund will go to the pork barrel of favored legislators? How much of the fund will go to favored local officials?" she asked.
Santiago was also incensed by a special provision in the DPWH budget which gives the public works secretary the authority to realign funds.
"This special provision is a clear violation of the Constitution, which provides that no law should be passed authorizing any transfer of appropriations," she said.
President Arroyo ordered government agencies to spend more funds for agriculture and social services to expand government’s targets for poverty alleviation.
Presidential chief of staff Michael Defensor said Arroyo allocated P1 billion a month for irrigation projects and farm-to-market roads in the North Luzon and Mindanao super regions to boost food production.
Defensor said backyard vegetable farms will be expanded well above the current 17,000 target.
He said President Arroyo has raised the target for microfinance borrowers since the two-million target for 2004-2010 has been exceeded. The new goal is three million.
He said the target outlets of low-cost medicine will be raised from 14,000 to 30,000.
He said the Technical Education and Skills Development Authority (Tesda) will also set a target higher that the original 80,000 for scholarships.
Defensor said the President has also ordered the health, education, social welfare departments and Tesda to accelerate the use of their budgets for socio-economic programs.
He said the agencies have slowed down the use of their budget to less than 30 percent.
"Nabigla yata ang mga ahensiya…Di na-monitor ang social services so nagkaroon ng slippage," he said. – With Regina Bengco
posted by brodkaster43 at Miyerkules, Nobyembre 29, 2006
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