Why allot P90 million for the proposed federal Constitution when it is not even approved yet by Congress?
Senator Francis “Chiz “ Escudero raised this question as the Senate scrutinized on Wednesday the proposed 2019 national budget.
During the hearing of the Senate Committee on Finance, Escudero asked the government’s economic managers how much the shift to federalism would cost.
“Our rough estimate with Neda is P120 billion but this is just the direct cost…” National Economic and Development Authority (Neda) Secretary Ernesto Pernia said .
Pernia cited the disruption in government operations as one sample of “indirect” cost of federalism.
“We already at that stage ha,” Escudero said, “May na allocate from savings na P90 million for information dissemination of federalism.”
(There is already a P90 million allocation from savings for information dissemination of federalism.)
“Saan hong item chinarge yun, (where was that item charged) under the DAP (Disbursement Acceleration Program) ruling? I don’t recall an item in the budget for 2018 on the information dissemination campaign for federalism,” he added.
Escudero pointed out Communications Secretary Martin Andanar’s supposed claim that the fund for federalism’s information drive would come from savings.
“Wala pa ngang approved federalism. Anong ikakampanya natin (There’s no approved federalism yet. What are we going to campaign?) We don’t even know in what shape, size, color or form that is? What will we disseminate…?”
Senator Loren Legarda, chairman of the committee, agreed with Escudero.
“When we utilize taxpayers money for info dissemination, it must be based on careful, comprehensive study and research and it should be done in a manner that derives respect from our constituents,” Legarda said.
The government’s campaign for federalism became controversial this week after a lewd video about federalism went viral on social media.
In the video, Communications Assistant Secretary Mocha Uson is seen with friend blogger, Andrew Oliver, who was dancing and singing a federalism jingle called “pepedederalismo.” /muf
READ: Mocha defends ‘Pepedederalismo’ jingle: We just want people to talk about federalism