House minority bloc slams Aquino administration’s ‘massive underspending’

House Minority Leader Danilo Suarez. INQUIRER FILE PHOTO

MANILA, Philippines—The House minority bloc on Wednesday slammed the Aquino administration’s “underspending” saying that it caused the hike in self-rated hunger indicated in a recent SWS survey.

The results of the survey indicated an increase in the number of hungry Filipino families to 23.8 percent or 4.8 million families—higher than when it was pegged at 23.7 percent back in December 2008 when there was global recession.

Minority leader Danilo Suarez told reporters during a press briefing on Wednesday that behind the problem was the administration’s “massive underspending… (which it) trumpets as savings.”

“The reason why we in Congress allocate budget is for the Executive Department to spend it. If you underspend, there will be no stimulus to boost the economy.”

Suarez asked how the Aquino administration could boast of 6.2 percent GDP growth in the first quarter when the country dropped to 43rd place to 41th place in the latest World Competitiveness Report of the Switzerland-based International Institute for Management and Development.

He said that the minority bloc “will not take (its) eyes away from what (the administration) will be doing” even during recess, saying that it was unfortunate that so much attention was focused on ousted chief justice Renato Corona’s impeachment proceedings.

“To this date, only 73 bills of national scope have been passed. This is not a record to be proud of.”