P9B ‘pork’ for LGUs realigned to other items

DILG Secretary Eduardo Año. INQUIRER FILE / NIÑO JESUS ORBETA

MANILA, Philippines — The Department of Interior and  Local  Government  (DILG) has agreed to realign  the additional  P9 billion aid  to  local government units  (LGUs) tagged  as “presidential  pork.”

During  his interpellations on the   DILG budget  Tuesday night,  Senator Panfilo Lacson questioned  the P16 billion  allocation  for “other financial  assistance to  LGUs.”

READ: Ping: P16B for LGUs smell like port, too

The senator noted that  from   the  P7 billion  proposal of Malacanang, the  budget  for  LGUs  assistance ballooned  to  P16.08 billion after it passed through the House of Representatives.

“Hindi alam ng ng DILG  ito?” the senator asked.

“According to Secretary (Eduardo) Año, the DILG has nothing  to do with it,”  said Senator   JV Ejercito, who was defending the DILG budget.

DILG Secretary Eduardo Año, who  was assisting Ejercito  in responding to queries about the agency’s budget.

“So lumpsum  po ito? This  is what we may  call presidential pork,”  Lacson said.

Ejercito reiterated  Año’s  statement that  the DILG had nothing to do with the  budget in questions.

Lacson said he had no problem with the P7 billion original proposal as he  was just questioning the P9 billion added by the House.

“Dun tayo may problema  because baka pwedeng ma-realign natin to other items in the budget,”  he said.

Ejercito  said  the DILG  agreed with Lacson’s proposal to realign the  P9 billion.

Lacson said he would move that part of the P9 billion go to the recruitment and training of new members of the Philippine National Police, which he headed from 1999 to 2001.

Part of the realigned funds could also  go to other items the PNP has requested, such as fixed-wing aircraft and maintenance of its helicopter and watercraft,  the senator said. /cbb