Petition on ‘lump-sum discretionary funds’ dismissed

MANILA, Philippines — The Supreme Court on Tuesday dismissed for lack of merit the petition questioning the constitutionality of the “lump-sum discretionary funds” in the 2014 national budget.

In a per curiam ruling on the case filed by former Manila councilor Greco Belgica, the high court held that the allocations in the 2014 General Appropriations Act were valid items compliant with the rule on singular correspondence.

These were the Unprogrammed Fund, the Contingent Fund, the E-Government Fund, and the Local Government Support Fund. —Jerome Aning