VOL. XXXIII NO, 249.

TI]ESDAY, 2,, 2019 ,4 SECTIONS, 34 PAGES

Senators' P83.6-B 'pork' derAils inffa pioiects

Iy DELON PORCALLA realignments," he lamented, move billions of pesos for DeDartment of Environment the GAB.
- lawmaker
confidence
the request of the DPWH itsel{
while the P16-billion cut in as-
noting thatP18.5 billion of this right-of-way funding will stall and Nahrral Resources where- He expressed
An official of the Flouse of amount, which ihcludes right- infrastructure spending and in provincial offices suffered thai Duterte will make the nec- sistance to local govemments
become the "stumbling block" 50 percent budget cuts. essary line item vetoes. was because the Deparhnent of
leDresentatives warned the of-way funding, ieopardiZes
e6ple yesterday that the P83.6 the "infrastructure maSter for the program. Senate President Vicente "No excuses necessary be- the Interior and Local Govem-
rillion in government funds plan." r'Line-itEmized budgeting Sotto III described the latest cause the President knows ments was also not aware thai
- The P18.5 billion is broken by the Hoyse will not cripple pronouncerrents from House everything," Sotto said, ap- it was given such funds.
ealigned by senators that
emained non-itemized could down as follows: P11 billion for the program," Anda/a asserted. leaders on the P3:7-trillion pardntly referring to justifica- "l found out that at leasl
Lerail President Duterte's Department of Public Works Otheritems the sdnators Put General Appropriations Bill tions made bv the House on P23 billion was realigned at
and Highway+ P5 billion {or on the chopping block were (GAB) as an attempt to muddle realiBnments.' the initiative of a number oI
nassive infrastructure projects
Lnder the Build Build Build Deparhnent of Transportation P39 billion for pension and the issue and stop President Sen. Panfilo Lacson said not my colleagues," Lacson said.
rfoEram. (foi mass transport iystems) gratuity funds, P13.4billion (or Duterte from vetoing what all cuts he made to the GAB Other realignments were
"The senators unilaterally and.P2.5 billion for DPWH',s miscellaneous personnel bene- senators believe were illegal werc necessary to Prevent Pos- used to augm6nt ihe much-J
lecided on the budget cuts and "foreign assisted" projects. fit furid, P7.5 billion for Depart- reaiignments in the proposed sible wastage of funds. depleted Health Facilities En-
ealigned them to other items "Wi wish to emphasize that ment of Foreign Affairs (P2.5 national budgeL He saidhe pushed for the hancement Fund; activation
,ased on request of individual the details of thesebudget cuts billion of which are "missing" "Tt's a last ditch effort to P75-billion cut in the proposed of the Army's 11th Infantry
rroponents," claimed Cama- were not fully discussed in the and P5 billion for Philippine obfuscate the issue and try to DPWH budget because the Division; adjustments on the
ines Sur Rep. Rolando An. bicameral conJerence commit- Soorts Commission). prevent the President's veto aeencv admitted it was not purchase of hedicines by the
laya Jr., chairman of the House tee," said Andaya, who heads About P3 billion is for Tech- of their illegal rcalignrnentt" piepaiea to implement the Ve+erans Memorial Medicat
ommittee on appropriations. the House coniingent in the nical Education and Skills Sotto told reporters. projects the amount was suP- Center due to the increase in
"Up to now, the Senate has bicameral conference commit- DevelopmentAuthontywhere He said colleagues of An- oosed to fund. the price index of medicines,
et to make public a detailed tee that also includes senators. 320,000 students now run the daya were fully aware of the
' He said he also sought the and other institutional amend-
eport on the proponents who He said the unilateral de- risk of losing their scholar- huge realilgnments he and slashing of P20 billion from ments, he said. - With Alexis
ecommended the indiidual cision of the senators to re-1 shps, and P2]2 billion for the other House leaders made to the right-of-way funding upon Romero, Paolo Romero
\\ PrTqo-6',