Senate tackles ‘porkless’ budget
Sen. Francis Escudero, chair of the finance committee, has presented to his colleagues a P2.2647-trillion version of the proposed 2014 national budget that includes more than P26 billion in allocations realigned to reconstruction work and post-calamity relief. INQUIRER.NET FILE PHOTO
MANILA, Philippines—The Senate on Tuesday started plenary deliberations on a version of the 2014 national budget minus the pork barrel allocations of some senators, but with increased allocations for calamity response, rehabilitation and reconstruction of disaster-stricken areas and climate change adaptation.
Sen. Francis Escudero, the chair of the finance committee, presented to his colleagues a P2.2647-trillion version of the proposed 2014 national budget that includes more than P26 billion in allocations realigned to reconstruction work and post-calamity relief.
The Senate version of the national budget was more than P3 billion less than the executive branch’s proposed P2.268-trillion national budget after the deletion of 15 senators’ allocations of P200 million each.
The committee report on the budget also reflected the removal of Vice President Jejomar Binay’s P200-million pork barrel.
“In these times of turmoil and political discord, we face the Herculean task of rebuilding, not just the damage wrought by the natural disasters that have befallen our hapless country, but also the shattered image of the Senate as a hallowed institution uncorrupted by the pork barrel scandal that has outraged the nation,” Escudero said in his sponsorship speech.
Amendments
The budget amendments that are oriented toward rehabilitation and calamity response include the allocation for a P20-billion Disaster and Reconstruction Fund, “to be used for the rehabilitation, repair and reconstruction works and activities of areas affected by typhoons ‘Yolanda,’ ‘Santi,’ ‘Labuyo,’ as well as the recent 7.2-magnitude earthquake.”
The changes also include the finance committee’s proposal to increase the calamity fund by P5.5 billion, from Malacañang’s proposed P7.5 billion to P13 billion.
The committee also amended the Department of Social Welfare and Development budget, providing that P336 million be set aside for cash grants for 20,000 families affected by Yolanda “who are not covered under the existing [conditional cash transfer] program.”
The panel also proposed to increase by P300 million each the “quick response funds” of the health and transportation and communication departments.
The committee also proposed an additional P100 million for the construction, repair and rehabilitation of the Department of Justice’s buildings and an additional P20 million for climate change adaptation works.
On interpellation by Deputy Minority Leader Vicente Sotto III, Escudero said the realigned funds came from allocations within the agencies involved as well as those between agencies, and from the miscellaneous personnel benefits fund worth more than P80 billion.
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