(NI BERNARD TAGUINOD)

MAYA multo din ang Senado sa 2019 national budget subalit hindi ito nakikita ng mga senador.

Sa inilabas na statement  ni House Appropriations committee Chair Rolando Andaya Jr, Linggo ng gabi, ibunyag nito na may P77-billion post-bicam realignment ang mga senador sa national budget kung saan P25-billion naka-parked umano sa Department Public Works and Highways (DPWH).

“Senators are desperately looking for ghosts in the 2019 General Appropriations Act. The problem, they seem to find ghosts everywhere except at their own house,” ani Andaya.

Ginawa ng mambabatas ang pahayag kasunod ng alegasyon ng Senado na nirerealigned umano ng Kamara ang may P79 Billion sa P3.757 Trillion sa 2019 national budget.

Sa depensa ni Andaya, ine-itemized lang umano ng mga ito ang nasabing halaga upang malaman ng publiko kung saan ito gagamitin at hindi umano ilegal o kaya unconstitutional.

“If post-bicam itemization of lump-sum budget by the House of Representatives is unconstitutional or irregular, what about post-bicam realignment by the Senate of P75 billion in the national budget?,” tanong ni Andaya.
Bukod ang halagang ito sa mahigit P2 Billion na parte ng Senado sa P16 Billion na lumpsum budget ng Department of Health (DoH) na hindi umano ineitemized ng mga senador kaya aabot ito sa P77 Billion.

“Worse, unlike in the House of Representatives, there are no proponents for the Senate realignment. Meaning, the funds are parked somewhere in the national budget. This is clearly parked pork,” ani Andaya.
“The senators may try to justify the realignment by describing them again as institutional amendments. But how can they describe the Senate’s P25-billion realignment that was parked in the DPWH budget? Still institutional amendments?,” dagdag pa nito.