Villar: No ‘lump sum’ fund in proposed DPWH budget for 2021

MANILA, Philippines — Department of Public Works and Highways (DPWH) Secretary Mark Villar denied Thursday that there were “lump sum” allocations in the proposed budget of his agency.

During the hearing of the House committee on appropriations, Villar maintained that DPWH already submitted specific details of its programs to the panel and the Department of Budget and Management (DBM).

This came about after Gabriela Partylist Rep. Arlene Brosas quizzed DPWH officials over the alleged P397. 2 billion “lump sum” funds in the proposed 2021 budget of the agency.

“In the previous DBCC (Development Budget Coordination Committee (DBCC) hearing, tinanong na natin itong P397.2 billion worth of lump sum sa central office ng DPWH. Ngayon, binigyan tayo ng dokumento at tiningnan natin pero parang kinalat lang sa regions yang mga detalye,” Brosas said.

“Sabi kasi before noon sa DBCC, na-late lang daw sa pagpasa ang DPWH pero mayroon daw itong breakdown. Pero hanggang ngayon, nananatiling lump sum ito. Pano nangyari na hinihingi natin ‘yung breakdown ay patuloy na walang breakdown itong mga ikinalat na lump sum?” she added.

But Villar said: “We already submitted the annex, the details of the projects and I think the Committee on Appropriations will confirm this that’s already been submitted.”

“Makikita n’yo po—I don’t know what you are looking at now but definitely readily available na ‘yung itemized NEP (National Expenditure Program),” he added.

DPWH Undersecretary Maria Catalina Cabral backed his chief, saying the DBM only gave them their ceiling budget on July 16 and a deadline of July 17 to submit their budget based on this ceiling.

“Therefore, of course we cannot produce in one day the DPWH budget. But we have already submitted to the DBM and to the committee on appropriations the breakdown,” Cabral said.

Brosas still lamented that the “lump sum” in DPWH’s budget is three times higher than the budget of the Department of Health (DOH).

“Bilyon ang lump sum para sa infrastructure habang ‘yang mga program para sa pampublikong kalusugan ay kinaltasan o kaya ay di pinondohan,” Brosas said.

KGA