Lacson thumbs down bicam report on 2021 nat’l budget

MANILA, Philippines — Senator Panfilo Lacson has rejected the bicameral conference committee report on the proposed 2021 national budget.

In registering his dissent, Lacson questioned the increase in the budget of the Department of Public Works and Highways (DPWH) and the decrease of funds for the National Broadband Program (NBP).

The Senate ratified Wednesday night the government’s P4.5 trillion spending plan for next year.

Prior to the upper chamber’s ratification of the national budget legislation, Lacson explained that he is  “manifesting my dissenting vote on the bicameral conference committee report for the reasons that I have given during my interpellation. At the appropriate time, I am going to explain my vote.”

During the session, Lacson questioned the P28.348-billion increase in the DPWH budget as contained in the bicam report.

“Considering the underspending record of the agency along with the DOTr [Department of Trasnportation], my question is what is the logic in further increasing the budget of the agency in 2021 considering the challenges brought about by the pandemic?” he pointed out.

According to the senator, the average unused appropriations of the DPWH from 2011 to 2018 is P81.9 billion, and that the disbursement rate of the agency is only at a “pitiful” 37.8 percent.

He then said that at least P82 billion is forecast to be unused in the proposed budget of the agency for next year given this increase.

He likewise lamented why the DPWH budget was raised even after he earlier recommended the deletion of P63 billion from the agency’s budget as well as the amount’s realignment to the NBP and to efforts to aid typhoon victims.

Lacson further regretted that NBP’s budget was lowered to around P1.9 billion despite being initially increased to P5.9 billion.

“So it’s now at P1.9 billion. What happened? Because under the House version, nag-increase na ng P2 billion, under the Senate version, we further increased by another P3 billion, naging P5.9 billion,” he said.

KGA

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