The dispute in the house dates back to the uneven ‘slices of pork’

MANILA, Philippines – What’s the House lawmaker’s problem with pork in the 2021 budget?

The bone of contention in the P4.5 trillion budget proposal for next year is Malacañang’s “uneven distribution of pork auctions” amounting to P397 billion in lump sum funds stationed at the Department of Public Works and Highways (DPWH), lawmakers said Monday.

Gabriela Rep. Arlene Brosas said her colleagues were fighting over the distribution of so-called pork, which “was now unevenly divided between districts and regions,” sparking discontent among members of the majority coalition.

Pork refers to discretionary and lump sum items in the budget, usually inserted after enactment, a practice prohibited by the Supreme Court in 2013.

It is not part of the DPWH budget

The DPWH lump sum, according to the Makabayan lawmaker, is earmarked for infrastructure projects not included in the agency’s proposed budget in the 2021 National Expenditure Program, the precursor to the general appropriations bill.

“These allocations are primarily for the construction, repair and maintenance of roads, bridges, flood control projects and not for the construction of hospitals and other health facilities,” he said.

“As it was before, it remains now: Malacañang’s apparent ‘uneven distribution of pork slices’ may derail the approval of the proposed national budget for 2021,” Bayan Muna representative Carlos Zárate said in a separate statement.

The leader of the progressive bloc Makabayan pointed to the “apparent disparity” in the allocation of funds for DPWH projects in various districts as the root of the conflict that now divides the 300-member House.

A House source told the Inquirer that the problem arose from the practice in the Department of Budget and Administration (DBM) of declaring certain DPWH appropriations as “for later publication (FLR)” without specifying the district.

A Mindanao lawmaker complained about the practice, which apparently would continue until 2021, describing it as the “discretionary fund of DPWH as to which district, if at all, it will be turned over to.”

“If the games are approved in the GAA (General Appropriations Act) by Congress, they should all be published, no buts or yes,” said the legislator in a group chat between members of the majority of the House, a screenshot of which the Investigator was shown.

“The Constitution does not allow the executive branch to confiscate [funds] and not let go. The executive cannot have the discretion of when to release them and to which district it can favorably cede. This FLR scheme must be stopped, discontinued and put aside, ”he said.

The Mindanao legislator declined to discuss the matter when requested by the Inquirer for further comment.

Shortly after the 2020 budget was signed in January, the DBM said that all new items, including funds realigned by Congress “that did not go through the regular budget evaluation process,” would be subject to eligibility. documentation prior to publication.

The DBM, under National Budget Circular No. 578, labeled said projects as “for later publication” and subject to compliance with specific conditions.

Another senior lawmaker in the House said his peers had been complaining about a lack of transparency in budget allocations, especially lump sums that were not broken down by item, region or district.

“It is very evident that the congressmen close to the House leadership are getting the majority of the budget pie,” the source said.

“This is also the reason why many legislators are questioning the supposed huge project allocations to some areas while others did not get as much,” said Zárate, alluding to the back and forth between the allies of President Alan Peter Cayetano and his alleged successor, Marinduque. Rep. Lord Allan Velasco.

Session suspended

Last week, the representative of Negros Oriental Arnolfo Teves Jr. wondered why the city of Taguig and the province of Camarines Sur, the districts of origin of Cayetano and Vice President Luis Raymund Villafuerte Jr., were receiving more than P8 billion and P11 billion, respectively, far more than its P2 billion from the district itself.

Vice President Paolo Duterte, president Duterte’s son, entered the fray over the weekend, threatening to ask the Mindanao bloc to declare the seats of Cayetano and 22 vice presidents vacant on Monday to force a leadership change.

But nothing happened on Monday, as House leaders suspended the session less than 20 minutes after the opening.

A buzz of perplexity rose from the plenary hall with only two dozen legislators present in person and the rest of the members participating via Zoom following the abrupt suspension of proceedings.

A House source said that many in the hall were surprised by the sudden suspension called by the president, Vice President Raneo Abu, an ally of Cayetano.

The source said the suspension showed that the House leadership was not taking Duterte’s threat lightly, although it could also clear the way for Duterte’s “graceful exit” from the speaker line.

Duterte didn’t show up.

In a television interview Monday, Duterte’s friend, ACT-CIS Representative Eric Yap, chairman of the House appropriations panel, cited a 99.9 percent chance that Cayetano would keep his job.

“He remains loyal to the institution, so he will go with what the majority decides,” Yap said of Duterte.

“He never said he will declare [a vacancy]. What he said was that he would ask the Mindanao bloc, if they have complaints then they can testify. Because he personally has no complaints since he does not intervene in the budget, “he said.

Yap said it was not aware of what the Mindanao bloc was trying to do.

“But speaking for myself, I definitely support the leadership of President Alan Peter Cayetano,” he said.

However, an Inquirer source said the unrest in the House may not have ended as Velasco had been spotted in Davao, possibly trying to secure the endorsement of another Duterte child, Davao City Mayor Sara Duterte.

Non-negotiable

Malacañang said that President Duterte would not intervene in the leadership dispute in the House, but wanted lawmakers to ensure approval of the 2021 budget on time.

“The Constitution is clear. Only members of Congress can decide who will be their leader. We leave that to the members of the House of Representatives, ”said presidential spokesman Harry Roque at a press conference in the city of Cagayan de Oro.

But for the president, he said, the timely approval of the budget for next year is “non-negotiable.”

“[T]The budget must be approved on time ”, added Roque.

–With reporting by Marlon Ramos and Julie M. Aurelio

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