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Manila Bulletin devider Philippines devider National devider Recto banking on DBM's transparency with UA lump sums in proposed P5.268-T budget

Recto banking on DBM's transparency with UA lump sums in proposed P5.268-T budget

Published Sep 2, 2022 11:10 am

Deputy Speaker Ralph Recto expects the Department of Budget and Management (DBM) to have no trouble in providing to lawmakers the details of the Unprogrammed Appropriations (UA) lump sums in the 2023 National Expenditure Program (NEP).

Deputy Speaker Ralph Recto (Facebook)


"I trust that most of the programs under the UA are laudable, so there should be no problem on the DBM's part to disclose their details in full," the Batangas 6th district congressman said in a statement Friday, Sept. 2.

"As I have said many times, the present DBM leadership’s commitment to transparency is laudable," said the former senator.

According to Recto, one customary way of informing Congress and at the same time publicly disclosing the projects and programs to be funded under the UA is through the submission of a Budget Errata.

The NEP, which is the precursor of the General Appropriations Bill (GAB), is pegged at P5.268 trillion for next year.

"As it stands now, there is nothing in the 3,842-page, three-volume National Expenditure Program for 2023 which lists down the individual projects and programs to be funded by the two biggest items in the UA: the P380.6 billion 'Support to Foreign Assisted Projects' and the P149.7 billion 'Support for Infrastructure Projects and Social Programs'," Recto said.

"As these form part and parcel of the 2022 budget request, and may be funded when the revenue triggers are met, it would be in the public interest to divulge the activities sought to be financed by these huge allocations," the House leader added.

He reckoned that it's fair to assume that "the P380.6 billion and P149.7 billion were figures not plucked out of thin air but were based on actual requests which were rigorously scrutinized by the DBM".

He further said that there's a template the DBM can follow in itemizing the two UA lump sums.

"This is the meticulous listing of projects – nature, amount, location – in the proposed P22.9 billion Health Facilities Enhancement Program (HFEP) fund for 2023. That is the template that showcases DBM’s competency and professionalism, 45 pages of fine print that meets all disclosure standards. That is the template that the UA must follow," Recto said.

He said that, like the HFEP, the P380.6 billion Support to Foreign Assisted Projects and the P149.7 billion Support for Infrastructure Projects and Social Programs are capital outlays.

"These do not fall under the unforeseeable and contingent expenditures which cannot be determined in advance," he noted.

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