MEMBERS of the House of Representatives today questioned the timing of issues Sen. Imee Marcos is raising against the P5.768-trillion 2024 national budget.
Rep. Margarita Nograles of PBA Partylist, Rep. Zia Alonto Adiong of Del Sur’s 1st District, and Rep. Rodge Gutierrez of 1-Rider Partylist told a news conference that the senator should have raised her concerns during the Senate plenary deliberations and the bicameral conference (bicam) on the budget.
“The GAA (General Appropriations Act) was signed in December. It’s almost the end of February, bakit ngayon lang kinukuwestyon ito? Dapat po especially during the bicam, if may talagang irregularities, this should have been raised as early as the discussions,” Nograles, a lawyer by professsion, said.
“At bakit po ngayon kinukuwestyon ito sa timing na may malaking issue. Ang nakakatakot po dito, sa bawat na lang po na ayuda na binibigay po namin sa taumbayan na kasama po sa trabaho ng public officials, servants, bakit nirerelate dito sa PI (people’s initiative)? Nograles asked.
Marcos was part of the bicameral conference committee that reconciled the versions of the budget of the House and the Senate. She signed the committee report.
Adiong said he did not see any irregularity in the budget enactment process followed by the House and the Senate.
“I don’t see any reason why some of our counterparts in the Senate are questioning the process when they themselves have affixed their signatures,” Adiong said.
Adiong said the new AKAP program was questioned only in relation to the people’s initiative.
“It’s a catch-up intervention, kasi once they graduated based on the data according to the PSA (Philippine Statistics Authority), ‘yung mga above the poverty line, ‘yun ang kino-consider po nating near poor,” he added.
“It went ballistic, everybody went ballistic…I don’t know the reason why it was attached to the ongoing PI investigation, which is sa amin po, is completely untrue, na hindi po ‘yan gagamitin sa people’s initiative,” Adiong stressed.
For his part, Gutierrez said Marcos’ claim that the bicam on the budget did not go through the normal process is a “grave accusation.”
“For some of our stakeholders to claim now ‘yung bicam ay hindi dumaan sa tamang proseso, that is something to be studied. It’s a grave accusation that should be studied carefully and investigated,” Gutierrez, a lawyer by profession, said.
“Paano po natin masasabi na hindi dumaan sa proseso eh kayo nga po ang nag-signify, you show approval of the same by giving that signature?” he asked, referring to the senator’s signature in the bicam report on the budget that was ratified by both the Senate and the House.
Nograles wondered why Sen. Marcos seemed to be questioning the budget enactment process under the administration of her brother, President Ferdinand “Bongbong” R. Marcos Jr., when it was the same procedure followed in previous administrations.
“Bakit po sini-single out ang administrasyon na ito? Pag tiningnan ninyo naman po ang past administrations, ‘yung process ganito ang nangyayari, hindi lang administration na ito,” she said.
Nograles said Sen. Marcos was making it appear that it’s bad for lawmakers to allot funds for the benefit of the people such as the P26.7-billion Ayuda sa Kapos ang Kita (AKAP).
“Bawal na po ba kaming magbigay ng tulong sa mga taumbayan at gagawin kaming masama sa pagbibigay ng nakapabuti naman po sa mga tao? So again, the DSWD (Department of Social Welfare and Development), it’s within their prerogative to also implement this and wine-welcome naman po ng DSWD ito at sinabi naman po ng secretary natin this morning,” she said.
Gutierrez also explained the budget enactment process.
“Actually po, each agency will submit their proposal to the DBM (Department of Budget and Management) and of course, hindi lahat ‘yun ay mapagbibigyan. They work with current fiscal space at ‘yan na po ang proposal na binibigay sa House,” he said.
“And then when it comes here, each Executive agency po magsasabi na actually hindi po lahat ng wishlist po namin, naisama po ng DBM, we want more. And precisely, nakita po namin dun with DSWD as far as we understand, sang-ayon po sila dito sa budget na ito, particularly ‘yung AKAP. Talagang pinag-usapan po ito as early as October last year, I believe ‘yun po ang sabi nila. The concept came way before and the fact na pinasa po yun ngayon despite being in bicam, I don’t think that’s a problem po kasi dumaan naman po sa proseso,” he said.
Nograles also said the House deliberations on the budget were transparent.
She said by including AKAP in this year’s outlay, the House was just returning to the people the money they paid to the government in taxes.
“Ginawa po ang proseso na nakalantad sa batas natin at napunta po ito sa Senate at nagkaroon po ng bicam. So ginawa po natin ang proseso na nandun sa Konstitusyon natin, nasa batas natin, sa pag-apruba nitong GAA from the bill,” Nograles said.
“And earlier, before we came in, Sec. Rex (Gatchalian) has already mentioned that the DSWD welcomes this program of AKAP. Kasi nga po, bakit ito magiging masama when ang pera po ng taumbayan ang binabayad na buwis, bumabalik naman sa taumbayan, di ba po? and this is beneficial sa mga nangangailangan. So bakit tayo ginagawang masama dito, eh binabalik naman po natin sa taumbayan ang kinakailangan po ng mga tao makaka-benefit po dito. This is more on people with low income,” she added.
