Budget Rush
For the first time in the history of Congress, the Senate is deliberating as a Committee of the Whole the proposed P1.053 trillion budget for 2006. The deliberations are simultaneous with the House of Representatives’ separate discussions on the matter. Senate President Franklin Drilon said that they are aware of the constitutional provision that the general appropriations measure must originate from the House before being submitted to the Senate.
Nevertheless, he explained that ongoing Senate hearings are not to undermine this constitutional process but are meant to ensure the passage of the bill before Christmas break. The Senate is not confident that the House will be able to submit the budget proposal on schedule. He noted that for the past ten years or more, the Senate receives the proposed budget from the House by mid-November when they are left with little time to deliberate and to pass it. They are trying to avoid what happened last year when Congress was forced to reenact the 2003 budget for failing to pass a new measure.
In the proposed budget, the Department of Education has the biggest allocation with P119.1 billion, a 6.3% increase compared to last year. The Department of Public Works and Highways is next with P62.3 billion. The third biggest allocation goes to the Department of National Defense with P51.6 billion, while the Department of Interior and Local Government gets P45.6 billion. The Department of Agriculture caps the top five with P15.6 billion. These appropriations account for about a third of the proposed budget while another third goes to debt servicing: P340 billion is allotted to interest payments. Some P381.7 billion, which is automatically appropriated (off-budget) is allotted to principal amortization. According to budget officials at the Senate deliberations, 70% of the revenues collected from EVAT will go to debt servicing and the remaining 30% will go to social services.
Passage of the 2006 budget still has a long way to go since the hearing is still in the house committee level while the Senate has raised more questions on some budget items. Still included in the budget is the P6.2 billion priority development assistance fund (PDAF) or “pork barrel” where P40 million and P120 million will be given to each representative and senator, respectively.
The Commission on Elections’ appropriation leaped from P1.4 billion to P3.3 billion despite of Comelec’s failure to implement the programmed modernization activities and questionable credibility of Comelec officials. Of the P3.3 billion, Budget Secretary Romulo Neri said that P1.6 billion will be used for election automation.
A number of senators questioned the Kilos Asenso Support Fund and the Kalayaan Barangay Program Fund, amounting to P8 billion. Secretary Neri explained that the Kilos Asenso Support Fund is part of the P13.7 billion fund of the administration intended to “heal the wounds” of EDSA 1 and 2 and to address poverty. He added that the Kalayaan Barangay Program Fund will cover infrastructure projects in 500 “conflict-affected” barangays in the country. Senator Pimentel questioned NEDA’s role in handling the fund, it being a policy-making body.
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