Communications Secretary Herminio Coloma Jr. Kristine Angeli Sabillo/INQUIRER.net FILE PHOTO
MALACAÑANG has dismissed as “recycled” former national treasurer and Prof. Leonor Briones’ allegation that this year’s P3-trillion national budget is “loaded with pork and lump sum appropriations.”
Presidential Communications Secretary Herminio Coloma Jr. Tuesday pointed out that Briones’ budget-related claims had been previously debunked by the Department of Budget and Management.
Coloma, head of the Presidential Communications Operations Office (PCOO), also brushed aside Briones’ assertion that the expected increase in the 2016 gross domestic product (GDP) would be driven by an election budget and would not have a sustainable impact on the poor and the unemployed.
He said “the Aquino administration’s record speaks for itself.”
“While the national budget doubled—from P1.64 trillion in 2011 to P3.002 trillion in 2016— the country also attained its highest five-year average GDP growth in four decades,” he said.
The PCOO chief noted that “while allocating the biggest portion of the budget (37 percent) to social protection and human development, significant gains have been achieved in poverty reduction and in increasing employment.”
“More was achieved in modernizing the Armed Forces of the Philippines than in the last three administrations combined,” he added.
Briones claimed, among others, that “while the National Expenditure Program totals P3.002 trillion, more than P930 billion is in automatic appropriations while Special Purpose Funds total P408 billion and Unprogrammed Funds total P67.5 billion.”
“Just like the 2015 General Appropriations Act, the 2016 GAA reinforces the redefinition of savings and authorizes the transfer of Development Assistance Program-like funds already declared by the Supreme Court as unconstitutional,” she said.
She alleged that “as in previous election years, small infrastructure projects were embedded in the 2016 budget and were specifically identified by legislators during the preparation phase of the budget, which amount to huge sums worth of public works.”
“Additional insertions were introduced by both houses of Congress and the bicameral conference committee. Concrete examples are farm-to-market roads which are identified with legislators who claim credit for them during election sorties,” she added.
In an e-mail, Briones said it was “not surprising that many Filipinos are optimistic about 2016.”
“They are looking forward to the May national elections which will give them cash, free food and temporary jobs. The question is: Is the good news about 2016 sustainable?” she asked.
She added: “The question remains whether election-driven growth will be sustained for the long term and whether it will directly benefit the poor and the marginalized. Will this be sustainable enough to lift the people out of poverty?”
Budget Secretary Florencio Abad, however, defended the 2016 budget, saying it “represents the government’s commitment to invest in people.”
In a statement, Abad said “this is a budget that is twice more than the national budget when this administration took over in 2010. It also provides the highest allocations on social and economic services compared to the budgets under previous administrations.”
“But more than that, this is a budget that caps six straight years of high-impact budget reforms that plugged leakages in the budget, aligned spending with results, streamlined budget release procedures, sped up disbursements, and capacitated agencies to fast track the implementation of programs. We also made budget information easily accessible to the public, and enabled communities to identify projects that they need. These reforms have enhanced the operational efficiency of agencies, as well as accountability and transparency in the budget process,” he added.