Lacson eyes rechanneling P1-B ARMM budget

After getting a glimpse of alleged abuses and corruption by some members of the Ampatuan clan in Maguindanao, Sen. Panfilo Lacson on Friday sought to re-channel some P1.16 billion from the budget of the Autonomous Region in Muslim Mindanao (ARMM) for 2010. Lacson proposed that P1 billion for ARMM infrastructure projects and P160 million in special purpose funds of the ARMM governor be redirected to other items in the budget. “I will insist (that) P160 million and P1 billion for the implementation of infrastructure projects, and in the absence of enabling law by the regional assembly, we might as well distribute the amount to different agencies in the national government," Lacson said during Friday's budget hearing for the Department of Social Welfare and Development (DSWD). But Sen. Miriam Santiago, who was sponsoring the DSWD’s budget for 2010, said the P1 billion would not be enough to cover the DSWD’s priority programs, which amount to some P3.215 billion. These include P3 billion for the “Pantawid Pamilyang Pilipino" program; P130 million for the government counterpart for the Kalahi-CIDSS extension project under the additional financing scheme of the World Bank; P76.724 million for social welfare attaché posts; and P8.2 million for the Council for the Welfare of Children. Nonetheless, Santiago said she “completely agreed" with the proposal to re-channel part of the ARMM’s budget as the region could not implement its projects. Santiago also cited news reports of mansions and expensive vehicles owned by members of the Ampatuan clan in Maguindanao, one of the country's poorest provinces. “Those previous budgetary appropriations should be disbursed for other purposes that we know will actually be implemented," she said. Lacson recommended that the amount go to priority projects of the DSWD, and to fund the overdue pensions of retired policemen and firefighters. In seeking to re-channel the P1-billion infrastructure fund, Lacson said the special provisions of ARMM’s proposed budget decree that appropriation of infrastructure projects could only be released and utilized if the regional assembly enacts a Public Works Act. “Since the ARMM legislative assembly has not enacted a Public Works Act and there is no listing of projects and construction to be funded by P1 billion, he said, “then we might as well disburse the P1 billion, part of which should be given to DSWD," he said. Lacson also sought to slash some P160 million from the special purpose funds of the Office of the ARMM Governor, noting the national government subsidizes 98 percent of ARMM’s budget. “Since what we witnessed in Maguindanao, we might as well slash the special purpose fund intended for the Office of the Governor. Please consider this. The national government is subsidizing something like 98 percent of budget of ARMM," he said. He cited a report of the Commission on Audit (COA) for 2008 amounting to P362 million, including tax and non-tax revenues. Lacson said that while ARMM allocated 55 percent of its budget to education, the COA report still showed as many as three pupils are sharing one seat. “So nothing much is really spent for education despite their being priority in ARMM," he said. - GMANews.TV