SENATORS are asking why government needs a supplemental budget that President Duterte said his government would use to fund government measures for the second extension of the enhanced community quarantine imposed as a strategy to curb the spread of the novel coronavirus disease (COVID-19).
Sen. Panfilo Lacson on Sunday asked economic managers to explain the need for extra funds when, according to his sources, there are P1.3 trillion in unused funds in the P3.75-trillion national budget in 2019, which it can use.
Lacson, who is the Senate accounts committee chairman, told dzBB that from the P1.3 trillion, the government has P989 billion from various government offices as of the third quarter of last year.
Finance Secretary Carlos Dominguez, in a recorded press conference with President Duterte aired on Friday last week, said the government has spent some P352 billion of the P397 billion that the government was authorized to use from the P4.1-trillion 2020 national budget. Dominguez said Duterte was mulling asking Congress to approve a supplemental budget to be used for the government’s COVID-19 response measures.
Lacson said he was wondering why Malacañang took the P352 billion from the 2020 national budget when it could have taken it from the 2019 national budget.
Lacson said Congress allowed the extension of the validity of the 2019 national budget until Dec. 31, 2020 because its passage was delayed for four months and because of delays caused by the infrastructure ban imposed during the 2019 national elections.
“That’s what I want them to explain. Why will they run short of funds when there are still unused appropriations in the 2019 national budget as of the third quarter [of 2019], P989 billion. If we include the unspent appropriations in the legislative, judiciary, and constitutional commissions, that would amount to P1.3 trillion. That’s how big it is, the unused appropriations,” Lacson said.
Lacson clarified, though, that cash is not there, but the government has to find ways of producing cash for that purpose because the national budget or the General Appropriations Act is a law that the government needs to comply with.
“So, kailangan maipaliwanag din ng DBM, ng NEDA, ng DOF pati national treasurer, nasaan ang pera? (So the Department of Budget and Management, National Economic and Development Authority, the Department of Finance, and the national treasurer must explain where the money is),” he added.
He said the President can also make use of a total of P84 billion from the 2020 national budget, which the DBM believe are “insertions” of lawmakers and classified by the budget department as “for later release” pending verification of documents.
Senate President Vicente Sotto III said he does not see any reason Congress should approve a supplemental budget when the President has been given special powers under the Bayanihan to Heal as One Act to realign the budget.
“Actually, a supplemental budget is not necessary because already we gave him (the President) special powers under RA 11469, there is no need to pass a supplemental budget. The President can realign the budget,” Sotto said in an interview with radio dzRH on Sunday.
Sotto said he can surmise that the President does not want to realign funds from his flagship “Build,Build,Build” projects which he said could help the government recover from economic setbacks once the pandemic is over.
TARGET
Police Maj. Gen. Benigno Durana Jr., director for police community relations, said the PNP has collected some P208.1 million, exceeding the target of P200 million, to help poor families during the lockdown period.
Called “#Team PNP Bayanihan Fund Challenge,” Duran said the fund-raising project is the PNP’s version of the SAP or “Sariling Alay ng Pulis” to aid the poor and vulnerable sectors during the extended enhanced community quarantine.
OFW AID
At least 230,000 overseas Filipino workers affected by the COVID-19 pandemic are seeking cash assistance from the Department of Labor and Employment, according to Labor Secretary Silvestre Bello III.
He said 233,015 requests for assistance have been filed at the regional offices of the Overseas Workers Welfare Administration and 40 Philippine Overseas Labor Offices (POLOs) in different countries.
Of the total, 118,134 applications were received by POLOs from workers on site and 114,881 were submitted by repatriated OFWs at OWWA regional offices.
“(The number) exceeds the set target of 150,000 beneficiaries for the P1.5-billion AKAP for OFWs aid fund,” said Bello.
The AKAP for OFWs program gives qualified OFWs a one-time cash aid of P10,000 or $200. Qualified to apply are OFWs who are displaced or on a no-work, no-pay status because of lockdowns and slowdown of businesses in host countries.
DOLE said 49,040 OFW-applicants have been approved for the one-time cash aid. It said applications were processed within 10 working days since the launch of the program last April 9. — With Victor Reyes and Gerard Naval
