Even after admitting that his fellow lawmakers were given P100-million allocation each, House Committee on Ways and Means Chairman and Albay Rep. Joey S. Salceda is now insisting the old pork-barrel system in Congress is gone.
Salceda, in a news statement issued on Friday, also assured the public that under the leadership of Speaker Alan Peter Cayetano, the proposed 2020 national budget bill remains free of any pork allocations and is bereft of any illegal parking of funds and insertions.
According to the lawmaker, the projects in the 2020 budget bill are all itemized in the National Expenditure Program (NEP) submitted by Malacañang to Congress. Before the budget was submitted, he said they have already recommended to the Executive branch, which projects require funding under the 2020 budget.
Salceda said all projects identified by representatives of congressional districts and party-list groups that were included by the Executive department in the NEP “were deemed necessary” based on the complete work plans and feasibility studies that were submitted by district, provincial or regional authorities of the various department.
“The members of the House of Representatives, including local officials like mayors and governor’s have also submitted recommendations on the development projects that may be funded under the 2020 national budget depending on the needs of their respective areas,” he said.
“However, we would like to make it clear that just like senators, governors, mayors and barangay officials, members of Congress can only go as far as recommending projects for their respective areas. It is the Executive department who will vet, classify and approve which recommendations are in line with national priorities,” Salceda pointed out.
Lawmakers, he added, can only propose but cannot even amend the budget on the floor because of the in line budgeting system that “we strictly adhere to ensure that every item in the proposed appropriations law is legal and aboveboard.”
He said his statement about each congressman supposedly getting P100 million each under the proposed budget does not mean that each member of the House would be able to identify and recommend projects worth that amount.
“Projects identified by lawmakers are allocated funding under the budget based on the needs of their constituents. Hence, if the project identified and recommended for funding is necessary, it may be included in the budget. Since the needs of the people in each congressional district are not the same, the allocations are also not the same,” Salceda said.
2020 budget
The lower chamber is eyeing the second reading approval of the proposed 2020 P4.1-trillion General Appropriations Act, or the House Bill 4228 within Friday.
President Duterte certified as urgent the 2020 national budget in a bid to ensure its timely passage and prevent a repeat of the delay in the passage of the 2019 budget.
The 2020 national budget, which is cash-based, is 11.8 percent more than the 2019 budget and will constitute
19.4 percent of the country’s gross domestic product.
Social services will receive the largest chunk of the budget with P1.5 trillion, or a 37.2-percent share. Followed by economic services, which will receive P1.18 trillion, or a 28.9-percent share. Meanwhile, the general public services will receive P734.5 billion, debt burden with P451 billion and defense with P195.6 billion.
In 2020 national budget, the government maintains a manageable deficit of 3.2 percent of gross domestic product (GDP) to enable a declining debt burden.
For next year, the government will sustain the momentum of rising revenue collection by pursuing the Comprehensive Tax Reform Program.
The government revenue collections are expected to reach P3.536 trillion in 2020, which is 12.3 percent higher than this year’s targeted level of P3.1 trillion. This will fund 83.9 percent of programmed disbursements for 2020.
Meanwhile, the total gross borrowings for 2020 amounted to P1.4 trillion. With a borrowing mix policy of 75:25 in favor of domestic sources, P1.047 trillion will be sourced locally while the remaining P353.2 billion will come from abroad.
Of the total gross borrowings, P677.6 billion will finance the deficit, which is equivalent to 3.2 percent of GDP.
Meanwhile, the top 10 agencies to get the biggest allocations next year are: Department of Education, P673 billion; Department of Public Works and Highways, P534 billion; Department of the Interior and Local Government, P238 billion; Department of Social Welfare and Development, P195 billion; Department of National Defense, P189 billion; Department of Health, P166.5 billion; Department of Transportation, P147 billion; Department of Agriculture, P56.8 billion, the Judiciary, P38.7 billion and Department of Environment and Natural Resources, P26.4 billion.
The 2020 NEP will also finance the implementation of priority measures of the administration.
Among the critical programs of the administration are measures to implement new laws and policies that provide economic and social assistance to all Filipinos, and enhance the security of the nation, such as the: full implementation of the Universal Health Care Act, institutionalization of the Pantawid Pamilyang Pilipino Program, smooth transition to the Bangsamoro Autonomous Region in Muslim Mindanao, implementation of the Rice Liberalization Act, creation of the Department for Human Settlements and Urban Development, and National Task Force to End Local Communist Armed Conflict.
The government said the UHC program has been allocated P166.5 billion funding, while P108.8 billion for the Pantawid Pamilyang Pilipino Program (4Ps) Act.
Pursuant to the Bangsamoro Organic Law, P70.6 billion is allocated for the Bangsamoro Autonomous Region in Muslim Mindanao.
Republic Act 11203, or the Rice Liberalization Act, mandates the creation of the P10-billion Rice Competitiveness Enhancement Fund (RCEF).
Following the enactment of RA 11201, or the Department of Human Settlements and Urban Development Act, the 2020 budget allocates an amount of P641.6 million to support the initial operations of the department.