SININGITAN sa Bicameral conference committee ng P14 billion ang 2024 General Appropriations Act (GAA) na gagamitin para amyendahan ang 1987 Constitution kung saan hindi lamang economic provisions kundi nais ding palawigin ang termino ng mga politiko.

Isiniwalat ito ni Liberal Party (LP) at Albay Rep. Edcel Lagman matapos matuklasan na may isiningit na P14-B ang mga House at Senate contigent sa Bicam at P12 billion naman ang idinagdag sa budget ng Commission on Elections (Comelec).

Ayon sa mambabatas, nakalaan ang pondong ito para sa “Conduct and supervision of elections, referenda, recall votes and plebiscites” na wala sa orihinal na budget na inaprubahan ng Kamara at Senado.

“The appropriations for these activities in the 2023 GAA was only P2-B, which was increased by about 700% this year,” ani Lagman.

Wala umano ang nasabing pondo sa 2024 national budget na nagkakahalaga ng P5.678 trillion na hiwalay na inaprubahan sa Kamara at Senado kaya lumalabas na isiningit ito ng Bicameral Conference committee na binubuo ng 12 senador at 12 congressmen.

Mas malaki, ayon kay Lagman ang pondo sa Cha-cha sa P9,896,172,000.00 ng Department of Migrant Workers (DMW); Department of Trade and Industry (DTI) na may P8,638,218,000.00 budget lamang; Department of Agrarian Reform (DAR) na may P8,081,067,000.00; Ombudsman – P5,5334,721,000,00; Department of Tourism (DoT) – P3,439,715,000.00 at Department of Human Settlements and Urban Development (DSHUD) – P3,307,520,000.00.

Unang sinabi ni Lagman na babayaran ng P100 ang bawat botante na pipirma sa People’s Initiative (PI) na sinimulan na umano sa pamamagitan ng pagpapatawag sa mga alkalde sa Bicol Region partikular na sa Albay.

“The proposed people’s initiative, which is virtually a congressional initiative, will make the voting in the constituent assembly of representatives and senators a joint voting which would fast track the approval of proposed amendments to the Constitution since the more numerous Representatives would overwhelm the Senators,” ayon pa kay Lagman.

(BERNARD TAGUINOD)