Andaya: Former House leaders get biggest slice

THE BIGGEST infrastructure allocations for 2019 are going to the districts of former leaders of the House of Representatives, House Majority Leader Rolando G. Andaya, Jr. of the 1^st district of Camarines Sur said on Tuesday.
Responding to calls for an explanation on alleged last-minute insertions in the proposed 2019 national budget, Mr. Andaya pointed out that funds under the Department of Public Works and Highways (DPWH) are going to House leaders who were replaced just after the President’s annual State of the Nation Address (SONA) last July 23.
“On top of the list with the biggest DPWH projects is the district of former Speaker Pantaleon (D.) Alvarez with P5 billion,” Mr. Andaya said in a letter to President Rodrigo R. Duterte dated Dec. 11.
Mr. Andaya wrote the letter after Presidential Spokesperson Salvador S. Panelo asked the incumbent House leaders to explain concerns on the budget raised at the Senate.
He also said Ilocos Norte 1^st district Rep. Rodolfo C. Fariñas, whom he succeeded as Majority leader, was allocated P3.5 billion, while now Cabinet Secretary Karlo Alexei B. Nograles’ received P4 billion for the 1^st district of Davao City.
“C���������ڲ� ko lang, nu’ng binigay ng Executive ‘y�ܲԲ� budget dito, ‘y�ܲԲ� tatlong (I just want to clarify, when the Executive submitted the budget, these three) officials were in the top 10, number one (is) former Speaker,” Mr. Andaya told reporters on Tuesday.
After the budget proposal passed through the House, he added, Mr. Alvarez remained at the top spot while the two others were still among the top 10 in terms of infrastructure allocation in the 2019 General Appropriations Bill endorsed to the Senate.
He also noted that contrary to allegations, House Speaker Gloria Macapagal-Arroyo ranked 60^th in the list, while he was 110^th.
Mr. Fariñas, meanwhile, said he was unaware of the allocations provided to his district.
“I don’t know the allocation for my district but everything listed therein was in the NEP (National Expenditure Program) submitted by the President. I left the majority two days after the SONA when I joined the minority, and there is no way I could have added anything to it,” he told reporters through phone message, noting that he had not attended any of the budget hearings and was on medical leave beginning Sept. 15.
“But I will not be surprised if the amount is accurate since my district has one of the longest national highways in the country from Laoag to the boundary of Cagayan province. The bridge alone for the Laoag-Bacarra bypass road is about P1 billion (multi year allocations),” he explained.
Malacañang, meanwhile, commended the House for its gesture to shed light on the issues.
“We leave it to Congress to scrutinize, review and deliberate on the budget and make the necessary corrections, amendments or adjustments to ensure that all constituents, regardless of districts and political or party affiliations of lawmakers, are given equal opportunity for growth, progress and access to services, in line with PRRD’s (Mr. Duterte’s) vow of bringing a comfortable life for all Filipinos,” Mr. Panelo said in a statement on Dec. 11. — Charmaine A. Tadalan