Bayan Muna decries 2015 budget errata that bypassed plenary

Bayan Muna Rep. Neri Colmenares. INQUIRER.net FILE PHOTO

MANILA, Philippines — Bayan Muna lawmakers on Monday decried questionable errors in the P2.606 trillion national budget that the Department of Budget and Management (DBM) wants corrected before the budget is approved this week.

In a statement on Monday, Rep. Neri Colmenares said the partylist group had received a copy of the 269-page errata of the DBM which they claimed “undermined the power of Congress by passing errata that have never been deliberated upon in the committee or plenary level.”
Colmenares said the lower chamber did not deliberate on the following items that the DBM wants to realign: P423 billion for the Department of Interior and Local Government, P8 billion contingent fund for the Bangsamoro, P3.281 billion for the Asia Pacific Economic Cooperation, P1.6 billion for the Department of Finance-Bureau of Customs, among others.

Fellow Bayan Muna solon Carlos Zarate noted that with the errata, the 2015 budget is a “whole new budget.”

He said if the DBM prevents them from tackling the budget in the plenary, they would question the budget to the Supreme Court

“This is a whole new budget and if they do not subject this to deliberations based on our rules then we may be forced to go to the Supreme Court. The court should prohibit this practice so that the people’s coffers would not be raided by unscrupulous politicians,” Zarate said.

In a text message, appropriations committee chair Davao City Rep. Isidro Ungab clarified that the budget amendments and realignments, such as the itemization of Grass Participatory Budgeting funds, were all dealt with in the committee and plenary.

Some “minor” amendments pertained to additional provisions for the “Go Negosyo” project of the Department of Trade and Industry, additional allocations for the recall elections, absentee voting and continuing registration under the Commission on Elections, among others, Ungab said.

According to a summary of the errata sent to reporters, some of the realignments refer to:

• P54 million for the loan proceeds requirement of the Forestland Management Project of the Department of Environment and National Resources
• P1.6 billion for operating requirements and various locally-funded projects of the Bureau of Customs
• P94 million for the establishment of Negosyo Centers under the Department of Trade and Industry
• P297 million for market and product development under the Department of Tourism
• P1 million each for the  resumption of the system on continuing registration, resumption of the overseas absentee voting and recall elections
• P8 billion for the Bangsamoro contingent fund
• P3.2 billion for the Philippines’ hosting of the 2015  Asia Pacific Economic Cooperation (APEC) summit

Bayan Muna would sent the complete errata report on Tuesday.

The lower chamber is expected to pass the 2015 budget on third and final reading on Wednesday.