A PLAN by the Executive to seek exemption from the election spending ban for vital infrastructure projects, which the National Economic and Development Authority (Neda) will formally pitch to the Cabinet next week, will likely get the Commission on Elections’s nod, according to its spokesman.
The Neda request to spare the implementation of infrastructure projects from the election spending ban will not be a problem, based on past experience, except if the request is for a blanket exemption, Comelec Spokesman James B. Jimenez told the BusinessMirror Coffee Club Forum on Tuesday.
The Neda pitched the idea of an exemption on Monday, as economic managers discussed ways of reducing the impact on first-quarter growth of the limited government spending—by as much as P46 billion, per finance department estimates—resulting from the delayed passage of the 2019 national budget.
Neda officials said they will propose at the February 6 Cabinet meeting that the Executive make a formal request to Comelec.
“So, subject to the terms of the actual request, which has not been filed yet, we believe that there is reason to be confident that it will be granted, again subject to the concern that if it is a blanket [exemption] or over-broad, then that might change,” Jimenez told the BM Coffee Club, which was joined by members of the Aliw Media Group of the Cabangon Chuas.
Jimenez explained that if the scope of the request is too broad or that a request for a blanket exemption is being proposed, then the Comelec will have to mull over whether to grant the request or not, since inclusions in line with a blanket exemption are not clear.
“We look at these kinds of requests favorably, but we have to look at the specifics of the request. More common than not, the Comelec doesn’t reject those kinds of requests. The Comelec remains aware of the role of spending in national development, in the progress of the nation. So we do not unnecessarily stand in the way,” he added.
Jimenez stressed that the spending ban is only focused on preventing “the use of government funds for political purposes.”
“So the ban is really aimed at those projects which are clearly being undertaken at a particular time before providing a particular political metric,” he added.
Projects that have already been started even before the onset of the election period are usually not halted, according to Jimenez.
“And as a general rule, if a project is already implemented even before the election period starts, we don’t prevent those,” the poll official added.
Humanitarian projects
He said an exemption on the spending ban is also being done for projects that are humanitarian in nature, citing as an example a situation when a typhoon hits the country and bridges are needed to help people in certain areas.
“The problem may [arise] if there will be a request for a blanket exemption. That might be a problem because asking for a blanket exemption will be tantamount to asking for a blank check…. If you are not specific, the Comelec also has a say in that, because remember…the expenditure of public funds for a political purpose doesn’t only happen at the local level,” he said.
‘Too risky’ to stall
On Monday, Socioeconomic Planning Secretary Ernesto M. Pernia revealed that the Neda will appeal to the Comelec to spare some public infrastructure from the spending ban.
He explained that some government projects, including the rollout of the national ID system, are just “too risky” to stall.
He pointed out that the exemption is particularly important if the government will continue to operate on a reenacted 2018 budget.
Pernia reported that the government is making “definite progress” in infrastructure development, with 61 big-ticket projects amounting to P2.73 trillion already approved by the Neda Board.
Of the 75 flagship projects under the government’s “Build, Build, Build” program, 44 projects are under various stages of implementation, 24 are under pre-investment study and the remaining seven are up for a review.
Congress will hold sessions until February 8. Lawmakers will go on recess from February 9 to May 19 for the midterm elections.
Image credits: Rudy Esperas