MANILA, Philippines—Executive Secretary Eduardo Ermita cast doubt on the claim of two opposition senators that administration lawmakers have realigned some P20 billion in the P1.415-trillion 2009 national budget into the congressional pork barrel, possibly to build up the administration advantage in the 2010 elections.

Saying that budget allocations can be subject to many interpretations, Ermita said he believed the realignments that were made by the legislators were “aboveboard.”

“If you analyze the budget, you can ask a lot of questions on allocations, or the so-called pork barrel. But you can be very sure that these things are legal and aboveboard,” he said, adding that he respected the opinion of the two senators who made the accusation.

Realigned cutbacks

Senators Panfilo Lacson and Manuel Roxas II claimed that the House version of the budget had slashed some P19.576 billion from debt service, miscellaneous personnel funds and the Department of Agriculture allocation.

The cutbacks were realigned to the regional infrastructure projects of the public works department, additional spending money for local government units and additional pork barrel for Congress, they said.

“That’s a normal reaction especially from those not necessarily with the President. It’s one thing to suspect what might happen. It’s another to prove that it will happen,” said Ermita.

“But I’m very sure that the President, having been a senator, knows that which is not proper, and what she can resort to,” he said.

While the bicameral conference committee will not be convening until next week to reconcile the Senate and House versions of the budget, he said President Gloria Macapagal-Arroyo remained confident the budget would pass within the month.

“Our optimism is borne out by the fact that some noted senators even came up with a position to set aside politics and focus on the economy. And they know that the economy will be affected if the budget is not passed,” Ermita said.

Even so, the President issued a memorandum to the Cabinet that the government would be operating on the reenacted 2008 budget up to the end of the month.

‘Horse trading’

Meanwhile, Lacson said that the administration senators and congressman who allegedly made the budget realignments can be expected to engage in brisk “horse trading” in the bicam to keep their pork barrel funds and insertions in the final budget.

But he warned that the public and opposition lawmakers would demand more transparency in reconciling the Senate and House versions to ensure that the national priority of shielding the economy from a global depression would come first before the administration’s political agenda in 2010.

“We have to be vigilant in the bicam, I expect them to go into horse trading and decide on a trade-off not to touch each other’s amendments,” he said.

As co-chair of the committee, Sen. Edgardo Angara and Quirino Rep. Junie Cua have a lot of discretion to adopt the whims of their factions, Lacson said.

“As long as the disagreeing provisions are reconciled, they can agree on anything within and even beyond the two versions. While both of them were given by the bicam members full authority to discuss and reconcile the provisions in the budget bill, they will have to present it before the body for deliberation and approval,” he said.

The House slashed almost P20 billion from the budget allocations for debt servicing, agrarian reform and personnel expenses. The allocations were redirected to Congress, regional projects for the Department of Public Works and Highways and Department of Education, and local government units.

The pork barrel increases allegedly made by administration legislators are on top of the P200-million annual pork barrel allocations for senators and P70 million for House members.

House Speaker Prospero Nograles refused to comment on the alleged pork barrel insertions in the 2009 budget.

“Senator Angara and committee chair Junie Cua know what they are doing as head of finance in both chambers,” said Nograles in a text message.