Puno appointment puts DILG budget in peril?

The P45-billion budget of the Department of the Interior and Local Government (DILG) for this year may be in peril due to controversy surrounding the appointment of Antipolo Rep. Ronaldo Puno, whose designation was challenged by at least two senators earlier this week.

Sources at the Senate did not discount this possibility after the undersecretaries of the Department of Environment and Natural Resources (DENR) angered senators early this week in failing to defend the agency’s budget.

"It is not just the budget that will hang in the air, Puno himself will twist in the air, that’s for sure," said Senate Minority Leader Aquilino Pimentel Jr. in a text message.

The approval of the DILG’s budget is critical because a big slice of it, amounting to P35.61 billion, is allotted for the Philippine National Police (PNP), which is primarily concerned with the maintenance of peace and order in the country.

Of the entire P35.61-billion PNP budget, documents obtained by The STAR showed that about P32.2 billion alone is slated for personal services, while P3.2 billion would go to maintenance and other operating expenses, and P183.95 million for capital outlays.

The Office of the DILG Secretary has an allocated budget of P1.5 billion while the other line agencies of the DILG are allotted as follows: P4.19 billion for the Bureau of Fire Protection, P2.874 billion for the Bureau of Jail Management and Penology, P37 million for the Local Government Academy, P787 million for the National Police Commission and P583 million for the Philippine Public Safety College.

The Senate, convening as a whole for the budget deliberations, had set the DILG budget hearing on Friday last week but this was postponed after President Arroyo expanded the coverage of Executive Order 464.

Press Secretary Ignacio Bunye invoked the EO as an excuse not to attend the budget hearing for the Office of the Press Secretary on the same day, to the dismay of senators.

Pimentel earlier lashed out at Puno for calling a two-day conference among local government officials regarding Charter change.

Sen. Joker Arroyo also pointed out that Mrs. Arroyo and Speaker Jose de Venecia Jr. were not observing proper "manners" in trying to circumvent the law to allow Puno to assume two posts with overlapping legislative and executive functions.

It will be recalled that during the deliberation on the DENR budget senators were also disappointed because newly appointed Presidential chief of staff Michael Defensor had not yet relinquished his post as secretary of the DENR.

He assigned an officer-in-charge who was apparently not conversant with the future projects of the agency.

Senate President Franklin Drilon said the DENR budget will not be passed unless the issue of who manages the affairs of the agency is resolved.

In the case of Puno, the former Antipolo congressman announced on Thursday that he would remain as "secretary-designate" of the department.

Undersecretary Wencelito Andanar would be acting interior and local government secretary until the Commission on Appointments approves Puno’s confirmation.

During turnover ceremonies yesterday at the DILG, Puno said there was nothing illegal in his assumption of the post and called senators "ignorant" for saying so.

Puno explained that he was not holding two government positions because he had not taken his oath as interior secretary.

He also warned that he would be forced to explore "other options" if the CA hearings were not handled fairly. He refused to elaborate.

But Puno’s confirmation seems far from being approved by the CA.

An official of the CA earlier revealed that it had yet to receive from Malacañang the formal nomination papers for Puno, Angelo Reyes as DENR secretary, Antonio Nachura as chief presidential legal counsel and Rep. Rolando Andaya as budget and management secretary.