‘House has complied with call for transparency’

MANILA, Philippines — The 292-member House of Representatives led by Speaker Gloria Macapagal-Arroyo has fully complied with President Duterte’s call for transparency in government by submitting a “detailed line-item budget” for 2019, a House leader said yesterday. 

“Amid downright intrigues and bizarre accusations, the House worked hard to enhance transparency and accountability in the 2019 General Appropriations Bill (GAB),” House Majority Leader Fredenil Castro maintained. 

“This move is in sync with President Duterte’s strong and unflinching stance against corruption and wastage of public funds,” the Capiz congressman stressed.

Castro mentioned the landmark 2013 Supreme Court decision on pork barrel fund allocations for senators and congressmen that was outlawed and prohibited. The SC said lump-sum funds are prone to corruption and have set guidelines for line item budgeting as opposed to vague allotments. 

“The House firmly supports President Digong’s action on the GAB. The House, under GMA (Arroyo) leadership, has clearly defined its legislative agenda to be always in accord with and always in full support of President Duterte’s priority bills and programs,” Castro stressed. 

House Minority Leader Danilo Suarez supported Castro. 

“We maintain that the budget was drafted and passed by the House according to long-established and duly constituted legislative processes. And we stand ready to address any concerns that the Palace may have in its review of the 2019 GAB,” Suarez said. 

Arroyo said the national spending bill will be “signed soon.” 

“Every year the President does line item vetoes so they are just working on now I think what will be the line item veto but there is a date for us to go to Malacañang,” Arroyo told reporters in a chance interview.

Duterte’s scheduled signing of the long-delayed 2019 national budget will also include an unprecedented “fourth book” where senators and congressmen will be educated on how to allocate their pork barrel funds legally. 

“Once the President signs the 2019 General Appropriations Act, the fourth budget book with itemized allocation for programs and projects will be out in the open,” said Camarines Sur Rep. Rolando Andaya, chairman of the House appropriations committee.

“The public release of the new budget law will leave our esteemed senators no choice but to identify their individual realignments which found print in the 2019 GAA,” Andaya said.

“Only by doing so can the public be made fully aware what are the pet programs and projects of the senators they voted into office,” he added.

Andaya also called on the senators to itemize their billions of pesos in pork barrel funds. 

“The senators may oppose such approach, but it is in full compliance with the laws of the land and in light of the Supreme Court decision. The line-item budgeting approach is adopted in the 2019 GAB. It is printed in the budget books for every taxpayer to see,” he said.