Senator Sonny Angara
EDWIN BACASMAS/INQUIRER FILE PHOTO
MANILA, Philippines — Senator Sonny Angara on Thursday predicted a “tough and thorough” scrutiny of the 2020 national budget.
This, amid reports that next year’s budget would still contain “pork barrel” allocations for lawmakers.
“I think the scrutiny will be tough and thorough,” Angara, chair of the Senate committee on finance, said in a statement.
“In my seven years in the Senate what I have observed is that oftentimes, the hardest questions come from members of the majority. So the review actually is not just the minority’s job but of every member regardless of political affiliation,” he added.
He noted that each senator has his own checklist on how to evaluate an agency budget or spending item.
While some are looking at government’s absorptive capacity, other senators would like to make sure that the budget is aligned with development plan.
“Meaning to help the people and not in aid of reelection,” Angara pointed out.
“Yung iba naman ang specialty is to sniff out items, which are in violation of the Supreme Court’s PDAF ruling,” he said.
PDAF, or the priority development assistance fund also known as “pork barrel,” was declared unconstitutional by the Supreme Court.
For his part, Angara said, he would scrutinize the budget through the “four-way-test.”
- Is it compliant with the laws of the land and jurisprudence on appropriations like the SC ruling on PDAF?
- Is it fiscally-responsible that it will be supported by revenues and when implemented, will not lead to wastage of taxpayers’ money through corruption or inefficiency leakage?
- Is it aligned with national and local development goals and based on plans, studies and consultation?
- Is it what the people really want in the sense that it will improve their welfare, brighten their future, and transform their communities for the better? /je