‘Parked’ funds in 2020 budget? Villafuerte says executive departments must clarify

MANILA, Philippines — Executive departments should clarify the P20 billion worth of questionable projects that Sen. Panfilo Lacson said were “parked” in various agencies under the proposed 2020 national budget, House Deputy Speaker for Finance Luis Raymund Villafuerte Jr. said Monday.

“‘Yung sinasabing P20 billion I think naka-line ‘yan, hindi lang malinaw, I think kailangan linawin ng departments,” the Camarines Sur 2nd District representative said in an interview.

(I think the P20 billion worth of projects are itemized but needs to be clarified by the departments.)

It was Lacson who said over the weekend that there were no pork insertions in the proposed P4.1 trillion 2020 national budget submitted by House to the Senate. But the senator has flagged some unclear programs under the spending bill that were lodged on the Department of Public Works and Highways and Department of Interior and Local Government.

READ: Not pork, but P20-B projects ‘parked’ in 2020 budget – Lacson

Villafuerte said Lacson should further clarify the P20 billion he was referring to because as far as the House is concerned, they only realigned P9.5 billion worth of projects under the National Expenditure Program (NEP), which the Department of Budget and Management submitted.

“Ang ni-realign is ‘yung institutional amendments lang na P9.5 billion, wala kaming ginalaw o in-amend from the NEP,” he said.

(We have not amended anything aside from the P9.5 billion, which we realigned from the NEP.)

READ: House bares P9.5-billion realignments in 2020 budget

“Inusisa namin lahat eh (We scrutinized everything)… makakatulong kung i-emphasize n’ya saan dun? (It would help if he emphasizes which fund exactly was questionable?)” he added.

As to allegations that some departments were unaware of some programs under their budget, Villafuerte said this does not mean that “something shady is going on.”

“Kailangan usisain, i-scrutinize ‘yung nagsagot but I’m sure since it’s in the budget, alam ng department ‘yan. Siguro what we have to ask sino ba ang sumagot ng ‘di alam? Siguro dapat ‘yun i-reprimand,” the congressman said.

(We need to scrutinize the one who answered that, but I’m sure since it’s in the budget, the department knows what it’s for. We have to ask who answered that? Maybe he or she should be reprimanded.)

“It doesn’t mean naman na may nagsabing ‘di alam, na there’s something shady going on eh. Kasi sometimes ‘pag may committee hearing kami ‘yung resource person from the department hindi rin masagot eh,” he added.

(When someone says he doesn’t know, it does not automatically mean that there’s something shady going on. In our committee hearings here in the House, something resource persons also cannot answer.) /kga