May pang-kampanya pero walang pang-ayuda? Zarate hits Duterte’s misplaced priorities

While President Rodrigo Duterte has sacks of money for his candidates in the 2022 elections, he has none for another round of cash aid for poor families, House Deputy Minority Leader and Bayan Muna Rep. Carlos Isagani Zarate.

“Akala ko ba walang pera? Wala lang palang pera kapag para sa ayuda ng mga naghihirap at nagugutom nating mga kababayan, pero, kapag para sa pampulitika, pang-eleksyon at vote buying pala ay nagsabi na ng maraming pera,” Zarate said.

He said that Duterte’s “boastful remark shows that his clique is creating an enormous war chest in the run up for the 2022 elections using public funds and resources.”

Zarate has underscored the need to uncover where these sackloads of money will come.

“Of course offhand, the President has control in the huge chunks of funds under his department. There is the P16.4 billion barangay development fund (BDF) or general’s pork, as well as the P4.5 billion presidential confidential and intelligence funds there are also billions still to be obligated under Bayanihan 1 and 2. Initially, these would amount to more than P20 billion already,” Zarate added.

He noted that the Commission on Audit (COA) has been flagging a lot of unspent and unobligated budget in different departments.

Under unprogrammed funds there is another presidential pork under Support for Infrastructure and Social Programs at 27B (2021), 10B (2020), 8B (2019).

The whole Special Purpose Fund for 2021 is a whopping P617 billion while under it the whole Unprogrammed Appropriations for 2021 is P178 billion, Contingency funds at P13 billions and NDRRMF at P 20 billion.

Also based on Department of Budget and Management data, the Bayanihan 1 and 2 fund releases and disbursements resulted in a remaining amount of P217.2B as of April 15, 2021.

Zarate said that the Department of Budget and Management (DBM) has also issued National Budget Circular 586 to collect the expected savings from the Fiscal Year 2020 General Appropriations Act (GAA) from agencies.

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Source: Latest Politics News Today (Politics.com.ph)