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MANILA, Philippines – After holding one hearing, the congressional bicameral conference committee on Tuesday approved the P2.264-trillion national budget for 2014 sans the “pork barrel” funds of 15 senators and Vice President Jejomar Binay.
The approved budget was P3.2 billion lower than Malacañang’s original proposal of P2.268 trillion, which was adopted by the House of Representatives,
Senator Francis “Chiz” Escudero, chairman of the Senate finance committee, said the P3.2 billion cut represents the foregone “pork barrel” of the 15 senators and Vice President, who decided to give up their P200 million Priority Development Assistance Fund (PDAF) each in 2014.
He said the amount was deducted from the four agencies in which the original PDAF allocation of the senators were placed namely the Commission on Higher Education, the Department of Health, the Department of Labor and Employment, and the Department of Social Welfare and Development.
The approved budget will now be returned to both chambers of Congress for ratification before it is transmitted to President Aquino for signature.
Asked when Congress can ratify the budget proposal, Escudero said: “Hopefully [as soon as the details are completed in the] bicam report [and then signed], hopefully this afternoon or at the latest tomorrow.
The committee chair defended the swift approval of the budget in the bicameral committee, saying that unlike the past years, they opened the hearing to the public.
“Wala naman kaming tinatago (We’re not hiding something),” Escudero said.
In accordance with the Supreme Court decision declaring the lawmakers’ Priority Development Assistance Fund known as “pork barrel” funds “unconstitutional,” Escudero said Congress removed from the 2014 General Appropriation Act (GAA) the “post-enactment intervention” or “discretion” of legislators over the implementation of projects.
He said the GAA also contained a special provision requiring each government agency to report to Congress and the Commission on Audit their utilization of their funds, including lump sum, savings, among others.
A provision imposing the highest penalty in accordance with the existing revised penal code, plunder law and anti-graft law, Escudero said, was also added for the first time in the budget bill.
“The 2014 GAA will contain stricter clearer provisions on reporting, transparency and accountability. The question now is implementing the mandate of Congress on the part of the executive and other implementing agencies,” Escudero said.
For the first time also, he said, Congress has created a quick response fund (QRF) for the Department of Science and Technology and the Department of Health.
He said the total calamity fund and the QRF in next year’s budget have now reached P16.9 billion, an increase of approximately P6 billion from the original proposal.
The said budget was on top of the P100-billion fund in the GAA for the reconstruction of areas recently hit by calamities particularly Supertyphoon ‘‘Yolanda’’ and the central Visayas earthquake.
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