Chiz: Safeguards in
place to deter abuse of lump-sums in 2015 budget
By Office of Senator Chiz
Escudero
November 28, 2014
PASAY CITY – Senator
Chiz Escudero said there are enough safeguards in the 2015 spending
package crafted by the Senate to ensure that lump sum items will be
used properly.
Escudero allayed fears that
the lump sum items in next year’s budget veil pork items for
legislators, saying that the Senate-approved budget is compliant with
the Supreme Court decision on the Priority Development Assistance Fund
(PDAF) and the Disbursement Acceleration Program (DAP), and that
measures are in place to deter abuse.
“There are really lump sum
items in the budget but it is different from having pork. These items
are really necessary and give the government the necessary
flexibility,” Escudero explained. “But these lump sums were made
temporary only. Why temporary? Because we require them, just very much
like what we did in 2014, to submit special budget in accordance with
the Revised Administrative Code.”
He said the High Court
itself did not declare lump sum as unconstitutional, only the
post-intervention of legislators which the Senate has addressed.
Escudero said in Sec. 63 of
the GAA lump sum appropriations shall be released upon compliance with
the requirements under special provisions which will be submitted to
Congress. It shall include the complete details of the programs,
activities and projects covering the lump sum appropriations.
In the Senate’s budget
version, total lump sum items amount to P1.862 trillion. The total
programmed appropriation is P1.734 trillion, and total unprogrammed
allocation is P123.056 billion.
Lump sum appropriations
under the Programmed Funds include Contingency Fund or standby fund
for unforeseen events, P2 billion; Rehabilitation and Reconstruction
Program to complement the expenses based on the recommendation of the
Office of the Presidential Assistant for Rehabilitation and Recovery,
P20 billion; E-Government Fund for interconnectivity and ICT
requirements of all government agencies, P1 billion; and International
Committees Fund, P10.7 billion.
It also includes P90.4
billion for the Miscellaneous Personnel Benefits Fund or MPBF, which
covers the benefits of government workers; P14 billion for National
Disaster Risk Reduction and Management Fund; P127.1 billion for
Pension and Gratuity Fund to cover the standby fund for those who will
retire from government service.
Among the items under the
Unprogrammed Funds are the AFP Modernization, Additional Subsidy to
Napocor, the proposed supplemental budget for Rehabilitation Fund
amounting to P20 billion, the P9 billion for MRT3 acquisition, and P3
billion Trade Remedies Fund.
Escudero explained that the
Unprogrammed Funds can be funded only when the state revenues exceed
the target for the fiscal year. “It is a standby authority on the part
of the Executive to spend money only when there is excess in the
revenue collection.”
“In accordance with the DAP
decision of the High Court, dapat may certification muna yung National
Treasury na sumobra nga at nadoon yung pondo sa Treasury. In
accordance with our provisions on lump sums, bago nila magamit
kailangan ipagbigay-alam muna nila sa amin,” Escudero explained.
Both the Senate and the
House of Representatives will convene for the bicameral conference on
Tuesday next week to reconcile their budget versions.