Oriental Mindoro Rep. Paulino Salvador Leachon and Deputy Speaker Luis Raymund Villafuerte. INQUIRER FILE PHOTOS
MANILA, Philippines — Oriental Mindoro Rep. Paulino Salvador Leachon on Tuesday accused Deputy Speaker Luis Raymund Villafuerte of having inserted funds in the government’s yearly financial plan even after the bicameral committee has already approved the 2020 General Appropriations Act (GAA).
Leachon made the allegation as the word war between the opposing leadership factions in the House of Representatives continues.
Leachon asserted that Villafuerte’s action was “illegal”.
On Monday, following his ouster as chairman of the House of Representatives Electoral Tribunal (HRET), Leachon claimed that Villafuerte had pork barrel insertions of almost P6-billion – including a budget for the construction of the Iconic Capitol Building (Phase 1) and a convention center in Camarines Sur.
“I say illegal because that was done after the bicam. ‘Yun nga ang pinangkakagalaiti ni (That’s what pissed off) Senator [Panfilo] Lacson eh. It was inserted after the bicam,” Leachon told reporters.
Leachon reiterated that the issue of alleged plan to oust Speaker Alan Peter Cayetano is only being used as mere “smokescreen”.
“Bakit di mo na lang sagutin ang problema sa taumbayan: That ikaw – you’ve been telling there was a coup in order to – as I said a smokescreen – para pagtaguan mo ‘yung tunay na dahilan na gusto mong magtagal sa posisyon para dire-diretso ‘yang enjoyment ng kasamahan – o ikaw partikular ka, sa iyong probinsya, to the detriment of other members,” Leachon said.
(Why don’t you just answer the problem to the people: That you – you’ve been telling there was a coup in order to – as I said a smokescreen – so you could conceal the real reason that you only want to stay on that position so that you and your cabal will have continued enjoyment – or you in particular, in your province, to the detriment of other members.)
False, baseless
In a text message to INQUIRER.net, Villafuerte denied Leachon’s claims, calling the Oriental Mindoro lawmaker a “perennial liar.”
“Leachon’s claims only show he’s a perennial liar, especially when caught red-handed. Pork Barrel insertions and Amendments after the bicam is illegal and did not happen and will not happen under the leadership of Speaker Alan Cayetano,” Villafuerte said.
“It only happened in the 19th Congress which was under the consent of Cong. Leachon that’s why he’s probably the expert in doing that but definitely I categorically state that his claim is false and baseless that this happened in the 2020 budget,” Villafuerte added.
Further, Villafuerte said Leachon’s allegations are “not only preposterous” but also an “insult” to the members of both the Senate and the House of Representatives.
Villafuerte explained that the 2020 GAA underwent a “rigorous process of scrutiny” from the lower and upper chamber to the bicameral conference committee and Department of Budget and Management (DBM) before it was signed by President Rodrigo Duterte.
“For anyone to believe that there is a supposed congressional insertion for a CamSur project in the 2020 GAA, he or she must suspend disbelief and accept what is impossible – that I had managed to pull a fast one on all legislators, both senators, and representatives, in last year’s congressional deliberations on the 2020 budget program,” Villafuerte pointed out.
“Besides this, the President had signed the 2020 GAA without any line veto, which only means Malacañang/DBM did not find anything irregular in this year’s Congress-approved budget bill, including the outlay for CamSur’s provincial capitol complex in Pili town that has been the object of Rep. Leachon’s undue attention,” the lawmaker added.
Villafuerte also defended his proposed budget allocation for the projects in Camarines Sur, saying that Leachon himself also has projects in Oriental Mindoro.
“Rep. Leachon probably lacks the vision and leadership to pursue similarly ambitious projects in Oriental Mindoro in support of President Duterte’s BBB (Build, Build, Build). This is probably why he resents the rise of iconic projects elsewhere in the country, to the point of maligning them with undue allegations of irregularities,” Villafuerte said.
“But there is still time to address Rep. Leachon’s apparent inadequacy. Should he want to, I am ready to help him design similarly iconic projects in Oriental Mindoro that his constituents and province mates could be proud of,” he also said.