Lacson to move for deletion of P20B ‘parked’ funds in 2020 budget
MANILA, Philippines — Heeding Malacañang’s call, Senator Panfilo Lacson identified on Monday some details of the P20 billion worth of projects allegedly “parked” in the proposed 2020 national budget.
Palace spokesman Salvador Panelo said Lacson should specify the parked items in the budget so that President Rodrigo Duterte could remove it.
“I’m sure the President will,” Lacson said in a text message when sought for comment.
“I’ll try to remove it first when I propose my amendments. Hopefully, the Senate as a body will support it,” he said.
READ: Palace to Lacson: Point out ‘parked’ P20B projects in 2020 budget bill
Lacson nevertheless provided some details of the parked allocation, aside from his earlier statement that half of the P20 billion was lodged in the Department of Public Works and Highways budget.
“That’s more or less P20 billion. Projects are not clearly described or itemized, like P500 million for QC and another P500 million for Kennon Road, unlike other infrastructure projects that describe specific segments of roads that need repairs and rehabilitation,” he said.
The senator said another P4 billion lump sum described as “Other Major Financial Assistance to LGUs (local government units)” was lodged in the budget of the Department of Interior and Local Government (DILG).
“When I asked DILG during the committee hearing if they knew about it and how they would implement the same, they had no idea at all what it was all about,” he said.
Lacson said the same item, amounting to P16 billion and later raised to P19 billion by the House, was also deleted in the 2019 budget.
He already clarified that the P20 billion parked funds were not pork barrel.
“Under the definition of pork, if the items are already in the NEP (National Expenditure Program), the implication or assumption is that these were vetted properly by the agencies,” he said in a radio interview on Sunday. /je
READ: Not pork, but P20-B projects ‘parked’ in 2020 budget – Lacson
