Romualdez disputes claims of pork barrel in budget

SPENDING PLAN. The House Committee on Appropriations will soon start the deliberations for the country’s national spending plan as Speaker Martin Romualdez on July 30, 2024 receives from Budget Secretary Amenah Pangandaman the proposed P6.352-trillion National Expenditure Program for 2025. —PHOTO FROM HOUSE OF REPRESENTATIVES

MANILA, Philippines — Speaker Ferdinand Martin Romualdez has disputed allegations that the unprogrammed funds in the 2024 national budget are presidential pork barrel, saying that changing items after the budget’s enactment is no longer allowed.

In an ambush interview on Monday, Romualdez was asked about ACT Teachers party-list Rep. France Castro’s claims that the unprogrammed funds allow President Ferdinand Marcos Jr. to reallocate funds from government-owned and controlled corporations (GOCCs) to items he prefers, making the appropriations discretionary and therefore, these are pork barrel funds.

According to Romualdez, since the definition of pork barrel is an item that can be changed after the General Appropriations Act for a specific year was enacted, the unprogrammed funds cannot be considered pork barrel.

“Well, I think if we’ll look at the definition, there is really no pork because that contemplates on the amendments or post-enactment of the budget where the allocations are being changed,” he explained after the House committee on appropriations took a break in deliberating the proposed 2025 budget.

“I understand any questions regarding the appropriations are with the Supreme Court, so I would also respect the presence and I’d like to defer the comments that we make, that you know, suggest any influence on the outcome of the resolution…So let’s just wait on the resolution, I think the Supreme Court will be judicious enough to handle this issue,” he added.

The SC has declared pork barrel unconstitutional, and there are petitions asking the high tribunal to stop the transfer of unprogrammed funds as these are supposedly being used as pork.

READ: SC declares PDAF unconstitutional

Last Aug. 2, groups and personalities, including Senate Minority Leader Aquilino “Koko” Pimentel, asked the SC to stop the transfer of the P89.9 billion under the Philippine Health Insurance Corp. (PhilHealth) to fund other government projects.

Pimentel and the organizations sought a temporary restraining order against Department of Finance (DOF) Circular No. 003.2024, which ordered the transfer of unused PhilHealth funds for “unprogrammed appropriations.”

READ: Petition filed at SC vs PhilHealth fund transfer, cites constitutionality

On Sunday, Castro said she is alarmed by the trend of increasing unprogrammed appropriations in the annual budget, saying that it is a new form of a “presidential super pork that undermines transparency and accountability.”

“We are seeing a dangerous trend in the 2024 national budget where unprogrammed appropriations have ballooned to P731.4 billion, an increase of P449.5 billion from the original proposal.  This massive increase gives the President unprecedented discretionary power over public funds, effectively creating a presidential super pork barrel,” she said.

“This mechanism allows the administration to siphon off funds meant for critical public services and redirect them to pet projects without proper legislative oversight. It’s a blatant attempt to circumvent budgetary processes and concentrate fiscal power in the hands of the executive,” she added.

In a statement in mid-July, the DOF said the PhilHealth fund transfer was needed to ensure that idle funds would be utilized for the people.  According to the department, PhilHealth subsidies are not part of reserve funds that will be touched by its plan to channel unused funds.

House appropriations panel head and Ako Bicol party-list Rep. Elizaldy Co agreed with the DOF’s decision.

READ: House budget panel head agrees with DOF move to use idle funds in GOCCs

Castro maintained that the people’s money, especially funds for health, should not be diverted.

“We must not allow the people’s money, especially funds intended for health insurance and social security, to be used as the President’s personal pork barrel.  We call for the abolition of all forms of pork barrel, including this new modus operandi of unprogrammed appropriations,” she said.

“Let us fight corruption and demand transparency in our national budget. The people’s funds should directly benefit the people, not serve as a presidential slush fund,” she added.