MANILA – House Speaker Alan Peter Cayetano’s “pork-laden” P1.5-trillion infrastructure stimulus package for jobs generations is considered “dead on arrival” as far as Malacañang is concerned.
Politiko learned that House Bill 6709 or the COVID-19 Unemployment Reduction Economic Stimulus (CURES) Bill which was authored by Cayetano and Deputy Speaker for Finance Luis Raymund “LRay” Villafuerte will be most likely vetoed once it reaches President Rodrigo Duterte’s table.
According to some congressional insiders, the Department of Budget and Management (DBM) knew that P1.5-trillion program under CURES Bill will not pass constitutional scrutiny since vast portions of the said allocations were in lump sum form—contrary to the 2014 Supreme Court ruling against the Priority Development Assistance Fund (PDAF).
Cayetano and Villafuerte reportedly introduced the CURES Bill apparently to pacify congressmen close to the House leadership who were stripped of their pet projects under the 2020 National Budget after the DBM last February has red-flagged about P80-billion worth of infrastructure programs and classified it as “For Later Release.”
One of the sources said the CURES Bill only replicates the infrastructure programs realigned by Malacañang under the Bayahinan to Heal As One Act and those that were purged by Avisado.
Davao City 3rd district Rep. Isidro Ungab, former chair of the House committee on appropriations, last March suggested that the President should realign the “For Later Release” allocations which is believed to be part of midnight congressional insertions placed by Cayetano’s henchmen led by his party mate, Villafuerte.
Cayetano last April has called out Avisado for prioritizing the rechanneling to the government’s COVID response of infra programs that are already subject for “general release.”
Cayetano then insisted tha road and other infra projects which are estimated over P2 trillion under the 2020 General Appropriations Act (GAA) must continue since it will drive the much-needed activities especially during the post-lockdown period.
House Assistant Minority Floor Leader France Castro has accused Cayetano and his allies of planning to create an “electoral war chest” following the House approval of the CURES Bill last Friday.
Castro said the CURES Bill will only encourage “political patronage” and it’s just a disguise fundraising operation by the proponents of the measure of the upcoming 2022 national elections.
“Political patronage, electoral war chest patungong 2022—hindi sa job creation, hindi pagtugon sa krisis buhat ng COVID-19… with all these flaws, the CURES bill will be worse than the disease. I therefore vote no,” said Castro.
The CURES Bill which is principally sponsored by Cayetano and Villafuerte is geared towards spearheading sustainable jobs that will provide employment and income-earning opportunities in areas affected by the coronavirus pandemic.
But Castro warned that CURES Bill, once enacted into law will only “pave the way for a scandal ten times worse than the Napoles scam” considering that there are no specific line item programs provided in the measure.
“Tila pumipirma tayo ng isang blankong tseke na ihahandog sa pangulo para sa isang spending spree sa kung anong mga proyektong nanaisin niya. At dahil pork barrel, saan mapupunta ang 1.5 trillion?” Castro asked.
By reading the entire provisions of HB 6709, Castro stressed it can’t be denied that the measure is actually a trillion-peso “Pork Barrel Funds” and considering that the program is in the form of a lump sum allocation.
Source: Latest Politics News Today (Politics.com.ph)
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