Martial law museum not part of NEP since 2021 but funding remains — Libiran

MANILA, Philippines — The budget for a martial law museum has not been part of the national expenditure program (NEP) since 2021 but there is funding allocated to it, the Department of Budget and Management (DBM) said on Sunday.

Undersecretary for Media Affairs and Community Relations Goddess Hope Libiran made the clarification after a fact check website called “misleading” the agency’s previous statement that the special provision for the program “was not part of the national expenditure program submitted by the [DBM] even in the past years.”

“We never said that it was not part of the NEPs ever since. We only said ‘even in previous years’,” Libiran said in a statement.

She added that “2021 and 2022 are indeed previous years.”

Libiran explained that a Special Provision (SP) was included in the 2016 NEP for the P152.3 million trust fund for the construction and preservation of the Freedom Memorial Museum which is set to be constructed on the UP Diliman campus, which will be under the Human Rights Violations Victims Memorial Commission, an attached agency of the Commission on Human Rights.

READ: Funds for martial law museum still available — DBM

In the 2017 NEP, the reportorial requirement of the special provision was revised that it should be submitted to Senate President and the Speaker of the House of Representatives first. This was adopted and retained in the general appropriations act (GAA) by Congress from fiscal year 2017 to 2020.

The special provision was removed from NEP in view of the passage of Congress Joint Resolution (JR) No. 4, s. 2019.

This resolution, Libiran said, “provides that the extension of maintenance, availability, and release of funds for the Human Rights Victims’ Claims Board shall last until December 31, 2019 only, unless another extension is authorized by Congress.”

But in the 2021 GAA, Congress included the SP and revised its title and body, according to Libiran.

“The revision provided that the DBM shall release the accrued interest of P659.2 million as of February 19, 2020, notwithstanding the expiration of the balance of the said principal of P10B Reparation Fund as of December 31, 2019.

“The said request shall be released upon request of the HRVVMC to support its budgetary requirements for the above-stated items until the fund is fully utilized,” Libiran said.

In the 2022 NEP, the SP was recommended to be deleted in line with the passage of JR No. 4, s. 2019.

“However, the same was reconsidered and formed part of the CICA in the 2022 GAA, reflecting the accrued interest as of February 19, 2020.

“Further, the SP was placed under Conditional Implementation by the President subject to the release of funds to reconciliation with the latest certification from the Bureau of the Treasury (BTr) and the balance of remaining amounts. As of May 31, 2022, this balance amounted to P569.8 million, per BTr Certification dated June 29, 2022,” she further expounded.

The HRVVMC proposed the retention of the revised version of the special provision but the same was recommended to be removed citing the aforementioned joint resolution.

DBM also noted that of the P381 million released to them in 2021, only P127 million was utilized, leaving a remaining balance of P254 million. The agency, citing the state-owned Landbank of the Philippines, said the remaining balance is still in their account.

“To correct the misimpression that this particular project did not receive allocation, we note that since its funding is categorized as Trust Receipts, the funds/balance are available until they have been fully utilized by the implementing agency, subject to budgeting, accounting, and auditing rules and regulations.

“In fact, the validity of the trust fund has been extended several times, despite the fact that no museum has been built until now,” she also said.