Senate realigns P3.2 B in 2012 budget

MANILA, Philippines - The Senate had realigned a total of P3.2 billion in President Aquino’s proposed P1.8-trillion 2012 national budget before approving it this week.

The realignments were reflected in documents presented to the bicameral conference committee, which has started reconciling the Senate and House versions of the budget.

The realignments were taken from reductions made in the appropriations of several Cabinet members, including Justice Secretary Leila de Lima.

By tradition, augmentations or realignments are treated as the pork barrel of the lawmakers who proposed them.

This is the reason why when he submitted his budget proposal to Congress, the President dissuaded lawmakers from making insertions, reductions and augmentations, since these would not jibe with his administration’s spending priorities.

At the same time, he asked Cabinet members and other officials to desist from lobbying with the Senate and the House for additional funds.

The 2012 budget of the Department of Justice was reduced by P305 million to P8.5 billion.

The entire reduction was taken from “Office of the Secretary” or OSEC funds. De Lima’s office funds were thus cut from P3 billion to less than P2.7 billion. None of the nine agencies in her department suffered any reduction.

De Lima has received both flak and praise from the Senate for preventing the Arroyos from leaving town. She is believed to be eyeing a senatorial run in 2013. She will be competing for the top slots in the winning circle of 12 with some of the senators who reduced her budget.

The budget documents show that four other members of Aquino’s Cabinet suffered reductions in their OSEC budgets as well.

The biggest cut was taken from Interior and Local Government Secretary Jesse Robredo, whose funds were slashed by P1.7 billion. A small amount of P36 million was lopped off the P73-billion budget of the Philippine National Police.

The office of Social Welfare and Development Secretary Corazon Soliman suffered a reduction of P597 million, from P49.2 billion to P48.6 billion. Funds for the administration’s conditional cash transfer program are held by Soliman’s office.

Some P348 million was slashed from appropriations for the office of Health Secretary Enrique Ona, while P91 million was taken away from Labor Secretary Rosalinda Baldoz’s funds.

Agriculture Secretary Proseco Alcala seems to be the senators’ favorite Cabinet member. He gained P811 million of the funds his Cabinet colleagues lost.

Alcala’s OSEC budget was increased from P48.2 billion to P49 billion.

The Senate also removed a total of P474.5 million from the judiciary budget, reducing it to P14.6 billion.

Of the reductions, P332.9 million was taken from the Supreme Court and lower courts, P105.4 million from the Court of Appeals, P19 million from the Court of Tax Appeals, P12.3 million from the Sandiganbayan, and P4.8 million from the Presidential Electoral Tribunal.

Out of the funds it cut, the Senate increased its own budget by P77.2 million to P2.8 billion.