ITINANGGI ni Anakalusugan party-list Rep. Mike Defensor na ang pondo sa tanggapan ni Vice President Leni Robredo ang may pinakamaliit na parte sa 4.506 Trillion budget ng gobyerno sa 2021.

“The P679.7-million funding for the office of Vice President Leni Robredo is not the smallest slice of the 2021 budget as her supporters have claimed,” pahayag ni Defensor.

Sa katunayan aniya ay 57% sa kanyang budget outlay o katumbas ng P387.6 million ay inilaan lang sa subsidy/financial assistant o ang tinatawag na dole-outs.

“Let’s set the record straight in fairness to President Duterte, who proposed the P4.5-trillion national budget for next year.

The P679.7 million he recommended for the OVP is not the tiniest allocation in the bureaucracy as was made to appear,” ani Defensor.

Maraming mahahalagang ahensya aniya ng gobyerno ay binigyan ng mas maliit na pondo kumpara sa OVP kaya hindi totoo na tinipid ang budget ng Pangalawang Pangulo.

“For instance, P85.2 million is budgeted for the Anti-Money Laundering Council (AMLC), P146 million for the Anti-Red

Tape Authority, P344.5 million for the Dangerous Drugs Board, and P172.3 million for the Commission on Filipinos Overseas.

Maybe, we should increase the budget for the AMLC so it could catch money launderers,” ayon pa mambabatas.

Ayon sa chairman ng House committee on public accounts, hindi lamang ang tanggapan ni Robredo ang binawasan ni Pangulong Duterte at ng kanyang economic managers ng pondo dahil sa problemang pinansyal na idinulot ng pandemya sa COVID-19.

“This is the reason why the OVP funding for next year is P28 million less than this year’s P708 million.

The President himself is proposing an P11-million reduction in the budget for his own office,” ani Defensor.

Sa katunayan aniya, tumaas pa ang capital outlay ng OVP ng 59% mula noong 2017 o ang dole-out funds nito kaya hindi maaaring sabihin na pinagdadamutan ang bise presidente.

“Since then, Congress has been padding her budget. Her subsidy/financial assistance went up from P177.6 million in 2017 to P277.6 million in 2018 to P387.6 million this year and next year. Congress has been generous to the Vice President.

Her supporters have no reason to complain,” ayon pa kay Defensor.

“If even just a part of the OVP financial assistance funds was allocated to a congressman, “it will be labelled as pork barrel,” dagdag pa ni Defensor kung saan idinetalye nito na sa OVP budget sa 2021, P117.3 million dito ay para sa sahod, P3.7 million para sa capital outlay, P28.3 million para sa biyahe, P6.6 million sa communication, P26.6 million sa representation and entertainment at P41.8 million para sa consultants. (BERNARD TAGUINOD)