House body OKs DILG budget in 11 minutes

MANILA, Philippines - The House appropriations committee approved yesterday in record time the proposed P124.15-billion budget of the Department of the Interior and Local Government (DILG) for 2016.

Chaired by Davao City Rep. Isidro Ungab, the panel approved the proposed budget for DILG and attached agencies as part of its tradition to forgo formalities of the hearing if the new head of the agency concerned is a member of Congress.

Ungab and Cagayan de Oro Rep. Rufus Rodriguez raised a motion to forgo with the agency’s budget presentation and the question and answer portion in deference to their colleague, Western Samar Rep. Mel Senen Sarmiento, who was recently appointed interior secretary by President Aquino.

“One of our most competent, most outstanding colleagues had been appointed by the President as DILG secretary. It has been the tradition of this committee that if the new member of the Cabinet is a member of Congress and his budget will be presented to the committee, then we dispense with the briefing and we just go to the plenary,” Rodriguez said.

He said the committee members are in full support of Sarmiento’s appointment and trust that he will do well in the DILG.

The DILG budget was approved in 11 minutes after the committee hearing started.

Reps. Romeo Acop of Antipolo and Ben Evardone of Eastern Samar, however, said a pre-plenary meeting on the proposed DILG budget with lawmakers would be held before it is presented on the floor.

In his short message to the committee, Sarmiento vowed that the DILG will be fair and non-partisan, and the Philippine National Police (PNP) will ensure the holding of honest, peaceful and credible elections in May 2016.

In his presentation, DILG Undersecretary Austere Panadero said the bulk of the P124.153-billion DILG budget is for its interior agencies to scale up the work for peace and order and public safety in the amount of P110.49 billion.

The smaller portion – P13.662 billion – will be for the local government sector to pursue the work that has been started in helping local government units (LGUs) improve basic services, especially local infrastructure and better governance.

Since 2016 is an election year, he said the DILG is also preparing for several local commissions.

Moreover, Panadero said 76 percent or P93.952 billion of the DILG budget shall go to personnel service, 20 percent or P24.602 billion to maintenance and other operating expenses and four percent or P5.598 billion to capital outlay.

Panadero said appropriation per agency is as follows: DILG proper, P13.404 billion; PNP, P88.161 billion; Bureau of Fire Protection, P11.190 billion; Bureau of Jail Management and Penology (BJMP), P8.059 billion; National Police Commission, P1.467 billion; Philippine Public Safety College (PPSC), P1.610 billion; and Local Government Academy (LGA), P258.283 million.