(Eagle News)—House Majority Leader Fredenil Castro on Saturday, Feb. 2, defended the adjustments made by congressmen to the proposed national budget, even asking Senator Panfilo Lacson, who has been vocal against the pork barrel system, where his “P50-billion amendment” would go.
“Nadiskubre po ng mga kasapi ng Mababang Kapulungan sa Bicameral Conference Committee na ito pong ating kaibigan na si Sen. Lacson ay may ipinasok na halagang P50-Billion para po sa kanyang pangangailangan na halaga na ayon sa kaniya ay hindi pork barrel,” Castro said.
Castro shared the position of House Deputy Minority Leader Anthony Bravo of the COOP-NATCCO party-list, and questioned why adjustments from the Senate are called “institutional” while those from the House were called “pork.”
“On the other hand and asked by us and by way of example, itong natuklasan na P50-Billion na ipinasok ni Sen. Lacson na ayon sa kanya ay hindi pork barrel, hindi insertion, ito ay institutional amendments ay natuklasan na hindi naman naka-line item o hindi naka-itemized kung paano gagamitin ang halagang ito,” Castro said.
As for the possibility of a reenacted budget, Castro said this should not be the case as “the growth rate of the Philippine gross domestic product will drop by 1 to 2.6 percent under reenacted budget in 2019,” based on the statements of economic managers themselves.
He said however that there was the possibility of a “deadlock should the Senate not reveal line items in their P190B ‘institutional amendments’.”
“If the Senate stands firm on its position na hindi matanggap ng House dahil ito ay contrary to spirit of accountability and transparency, hindi maliwanag sa publiko kung saan gagastuhin o saan dadalhin ang pera ng mamamayan, we will cross the bridge when we are there,” Castro said.
Lacson had said congressmen would receive P160 million each in pork under the House-proposed national budget, prompting Bravo to pounce on him and say the senator himself had secret adjustments to the national budget.
But Lacson hit back at him, saying all his amendments had already been made public.
“MR CONGRESSMAN, I ALREADY MADE PUBLIC ALL MY AMENDMENTS IN THE 2019 NATIONAL BUDGET. CAN YOU DO THE SAME?” Lacson said in a Tweet.
