Comelec gets P4.14B more to spend on polls

Budget Secretary Florencio B. Abad: Good news. INQUIRER FILE PHOTO

The Commission on Elections has obtained an additional P4.14 billion to support preparations for the synchronized national and local elections and the Autonomous Region in Muslim Mindanao (ARMM) polls in May.

In a statement, Budget Secretary Florencio B. Abad said the amount came from savings from last year’s national budget.

Of the amount, P1.54 billion will be used to cover expenses for the synchronized elections while P755.08 million will support activities related to the purchase of precinct count optical scan (PCOS) machines, including the development of collateral, software support and maintenance, and training and seminar expenses.

The fund release also covers P100.9 million for the overseas absentee voting. More than 950,000 overseas Filipinos have registered for the midterm elections.

“We augmented the Comelec’s budget to enable it to make the necessary preparations for this year’s synchronized national, local and Autonomous Region in Muslim Mindanao elections,” Abad said.

“The additional fund support will ensure that pre-election activities are accomplished according to schedule and with the utmost efficiency,” he added.

But Abad stressed the P4.14 billion should be used only for activities related to the elections. Any part that is unused cannot be spent on other things.

The amount released is about half of the P8.3 billion funding for the Comelec as provided for in the national budget for 2013.

In December, Abad said the government was able to raise some P32 billion in savings from unreleased items in the 2011 and 2012 budgets, as well as from windfall revenues on dividends from state corporations.

He said President Aquino approved the use of such savings for quick-disbursing priority programs and projects that are expected to bolster domestic economic growth.

“This will be used for programs and projects that will sustain macroeconomic stability, accelerate infrastructure development, bolster tourism, support reforms in local governments, and upgrade defense capabilities, among others,” Abad said.

Of the savings, P8.1 billion was earmarked for flood control and irrigation projects, including P5 billion for a package of projects in Metro Manila and nearby provinces.

Last year, the board of the National Economic and Development Authority chaired by President Aquino approved P5 billion for 2012 alone in funding for the Department of Public Works and Highways’ Flood Management Master Plan for Metro Manila and Surrounding Areas.