Lawmakers smell ‘pork barrel’ in military budget

MANILA, Philippines — Is there pork barrel for the armed forces chief in the 2015 budget?

A special provision authorizing the chief of the Armed Forces of the Philippines to “re-prioritize” items in the military’s appropriation was inserted by the Department of Budget and Management in the proposed 2015 budget without the knowledge of the Department of National Defense.

This came to light during the deliberations on the proposed P141.85-billion budget of the DND and the AFP in the House of Representatives on Tuesday, prompting Bayan Muna Representative Carlos Zarate to comment that the AFP chief would enjoy a “mini pork barrel” by 2015.

“We’re not aware of this,” Defense Secretary Voltaire Gazmin said of the special provision upon questioning by Zarate.

Defense Secretary Voltaire Gazmin. INQUIRER FILE PHOTO

Zarate was referring to a provision in the National Expenditure Program authorizing the AFP chief to re-prioritize items under Personal Services and Maintenance and Other Operating Expenses, provided that any re-prioritization or any change in the allotment class will be approved by the President.

“This is a very new provision. I did not find this in previous NEP (National Expenditure Program), nor in previous GAA (General Appropriations Act), authorizing the AFP chief,” Zarate said.

“This insertion of this provision in the NEP is creating  a pork barrel for the AFP chief of staff,” as he will have control of P26.25 billion in funds, he said.

But the DBM representative, Assistant Secretary Tina Canda, who was asked by the committee chairman to respond to Zarate’s questions, said the provision had actually already appeared in previous budget measures.

“The terminology that was changed was only ‘re-prioritization’ in the second quarter,” she said, adding the original term was “augmentation.”

Canda said there were “specific collateral allowances known only during budget execution,” hence leeway must be given to the AFP chief “to realign within personal services or MOOE items of expenditure.”

She added that heads of other agencies actually possessed this authority as well.

But Zarate said the item was still tantamount to a new provision and must be deleted from the proposed budget as it would give a “blank check” to the AFP chief and the other agency heads to move funds without Congress’ approval.

Manila Representative Zenaida Angping, a vice chairperson of the appropriations committee who presided over the hearing, agreed to discuss the insertion further in a future meeting or before plenary debates.

Alliance of Concerned Teachers Representative Antonio Tinio noted that the term “re-prioritization” did not appear in the 1987 Constitution.

“This is a new concept that the DBM would like us to approve. This is still connected to the DAP,” he said, referring to the Disbursement Acceleration Program, a stimulus program that was declared unconstitutional by the Supreme Court in July.

Tinio said: “We will oppose the special provision in the AFP-GHQ… as it gives the AFP chief blanket authority to realign their budget.”

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