House panel seeks to reduce rental expenses of gov’t offices

MANILA, Philippines - The House committee on appropriations will look into ways to reduce the huge budget for the rental expenses of various government offices that senior administration lawmakers said could be put to better use.

Cagayan de Oro Rep. Rufus Rodriguez, president of the Centrist Democratic Party, filed a resolution directing the committee to conduct an inquiry into the use of the P4.745 billion allocated this year for rental payments for office space of various government departments.

Among the government agencies that were given rental allocations are the Department of Foreign Affairs, Bureau of Internal Revenue, Department of the Interior and Local Government for the Philippine National Police, Department of Trade and Industry, and the Supreme Court.

He said the P4.745 billion could instead be used for other worthwhile government projects like the construction of classrooms and socialized housing.

“The payment of rental is definitely a huge waste of resources and the government should seriously start considering the long-term benefits of buying their own properties for the different government agencies,” Rodriguez said.

“The government should also look into the possibility of entering into lease-to-own schemes in order to avoid paying huge lump sum amounts,” he added.

The lawmaker said the resolution would also serve notice to officials, particularly those from the Department of Budget and Management, who may be able to suggest ways to put the budget for rental payments to better use.

All appropriations must emanate from the House as mandated by the Constitution.