Lacson files bill urging public to guard national budget vs pork

MANILA, Philippines — Sen. Panfilo Lacson has filed a bill that will institutionalize the direct participation of people’s organizations and nongovernment organizations (NGOs) in the preparation of the country’s annual spending bill.

Senate Bill No. 2219, Lacson said, would allow taxpayers themselves to “serve as the biggest safeguard against pork barrel being sneaked into the national budget.”

“Now is the time for Congress to recognize the importance of the direct participation by people’s organizations and non-government organizations in the budget deliberation,” Lacson wrote in filing the bill on Monday.

“We should institutionalize the practice of legislature-civil society collaboration in order to achieve a people-oriented budget as well as establish transparency and accountability in the budget process,” he added.

In a statement Tuesday, Lacson noted that the standoff that delayed the passage of the 2019 General Appropriations Act was due mainly to “abuse and indiscretions by some legislators from both houses of Congress.”

He repeated his criticism that the House of Representatives’ leadership “went beyond the mandate of the law and time-honored legislative practice by introducing realignments even after the budget had been ratified – a violation of the 1987 Constitution.”

President Rodrigo Duterte signed the 2019 budget bill last April 15, but Executive Secretary Salvador Medialdea said the Chief Executive vetoed some P93.5 billion that was “not within the programmed priorities.”

READ: Duterte signs 2019 national budget; vetoes P95.3B | House respects Duterte veto of P95.3-B infra funding – Castro

Under SBN 2219, civil society organizations (CSOs) such as NGOs and professional and faith-based groups could observe public consultations and submit position papers for the consideration of the national government agencies (NGAs) or government-owned and controlled corporations (GOCCs).

But groups that are accredited would have more privileges and incentives, including being allowed to observe at budget deliberations and at the bicameral conference; and participation as resource persons in budget hearings in both houses of Congress.

Accredited groups would also have access to documents including copies of the budget proposals submitted by NGAs or GOCCs to the Department of Budget and Management (DBM), and could provide written proposals and position papers to the DBM on the budget proposals of NGAs or GOCCs; and submit their own alternative or proposed budget, the bill said.

For their part, the Senate committee on finance and House committee on appropriations would schedule one hearing day for the presentation of the positions of accredited CSOs on the budget.

The proposed law said CSOs may apply for accreditation before NGAs, GOCCs, the Senate, House of Representatives, Judiciary and Constitutional Offices.

The CSO applicants, it added, should provide documents including full disclosure of sources of funds, as well as of service contracts with other NGAs, CSOs, private corporations, other CSOs and other engagements that may result in a potential conflict of interest.  /muf