Bayan Muna Representative Neri Colmenares. INQUIRER.net FILE PHOTO
MANILA, Philippines—The Supreme Court may have declared the Disbursement Acceleration Program (DAP) partly unconstitutional but that won’t stop Malacañang from seeking its continuation.
Budget Secretary Florencio Abad on Tuesday told the House committee on appropriations that the Executive wanted to redefine savings after the Supreme Court declared unconstitutional the administration’s practice of classifying unutilized funds as savings even in the middle of the year.
Bayan Muna Representative Neri Colmenares, during the same hearing, pointed out that the Executive merely wanted to “cure” the high court’s decision.
But presidential spokesperson Edwin Lacierda said there was nothing wrong with that.
“It is not circumvention because the principle of checks and balances precisely allow such a remedy,” he said in a text message to INQUIRER.net.
“The SC described the beneficial effects of DAP but at the same time stated that the Executive Department’s take on savings was wrong. How do we then remedy it or how do we ensure the beneficial effects to continue? The answer is if we want the positive effects to continue, then Congress must redefine savings to ensure the beneficial effects will continue,” he explained.
Lacierda said Congress has the power to craft laws and define savings so it also has the authority to redefine savings “to preserve the gains and to give statutory basis for the Executive Department to implement projects covered by savings.”
Under the 2015 National Expenditure Program, which was submitted by the Department of Budget and Management to Congress, “savings” could apply to portions of available balances resulting from the non-commencement of a program or project for which the allotted amount was authorized within the first semester of 2015.
No less than President Benigno Aquino III has assailed the Supreme Court decision, saying it had a “chilling effect” on government and had halted programs benefiting the public.
RELATED STORIES
Disbursement Acceleration Program