A party-list lawmaker on Tuesday questioned the P21-billion lump sum under the Department of Agriculture’s (DA) proposed budget for next year.
Party-list Rep. Terry Ridon of Kabataan said that out of the P53.39-billion total proposed budget of the DA and its attached agencies, about P21 billion can be considered as “lump sums” that lack details and are vulnerable to “corruption,” including a P7-billion appropriation for farm-to-market roads (FMRs).
“When we looked for details for the FMR projects in the 2016 National Expenditure Program [NEP], all we could find is a regional distribution of the P7-billion budget. Essentially, the FMR budget is still a lump sum,” Ridon said.
The legislator suspects that the FMR budget will be disaggregated either during the closed-door bicameral meeting or even after the enactment of the General Appropriations Act (GAA).
Apart from the P7-billion FMRs, Ridon said that other lump sums in the DA budget include P586.7 million for the Payapa at Masaganang Pamayanan Program; P500 million for quick-response funds; P1.2 billion for “small-scale irrigation projects”; and P2.6 billion for bottom-up budgeting project, among others.
“Clearly, there are several items in the DA budget that can be tapped by the ruling party for pork funds,” Ridon said. He also questioned the special provisions on FMRs indicated in the 2016 NEP, which states that the DA “shall ensure that the FMRs to be implemented will lead to arterial or secondary roads.”
Ridon said that legislators can work around the said provision by simply writing to DA to request for FMR funds.
“In the first place, Congress should be the one scrutinizing the details of the FMRs. But how can we fulfill our duty to the public when the FMR budget is just one big lump sum that will only be disaggregated after the GAA is enacted? Paano natin malalaman kung FMRs nga at hindi farm-to-mayor’s house roads ang ipapatayo?” Ridon asked.
The lawmaker also questioned post-enactment modification of project details under Section 3.9 of the DA budget’s special provisions.
The said provision empowers the DA secretary to “change the location and/or scope of work of FMR projects with the Budget Priorities Framework and/or approved network plan or update the approved network plan pursuant to the preceding special provision, subject to the following: [i] the allotment released has not been obligated; [ii] may only be done once and until June 30, 2016, except if due to the occurrence of calamities; (iii) of the same project category; and [iv] undertaken by same operating unit.”
“Again, this is a provision that intends to revive and legalize Disbursement Acceleration Program [DAP]. If this provision is passed, there is no stopping the Executive department from inserting and implementing pet projects of their choosing,” Ridon said.
Rice sufficiency
Meanwhile, during the budget hearing, Agriculture Secretary Proceso J. Alcala said the country’s rice self-sufficiency level has been at 96 percent since 2014, up from 82 percent in 2010, when President Aquino assumed office.
“[The country] recorded fastest production growth among the world’s rice producers for 2010 to 2014 with average growth of 4.02 percent,” he said, adding “[the Philippines] achieved historical best of 18.97 million metric tons [MMT] palay production and 4 metric tons [MT] per hectare yield in 2014.”
For 2015 DA forecast palay production would hit 20.09 MMT.
Alcala also said that the country will have to import rice to ensure there is enough buffer stock.
“Until and unless we produce the rice we need plus the buffer stock, we will have to continue importing rice,” he said. Data showed that since February 2015, the National Food Authority has imported 750,000 MT of rice through government to government procurement.
Meanwhile, for 2016, the agency’s proposed budget is P53.39 billion, or 2.6 percent higher than its budget of P52.03 billion this year.