Makabayan, LP lawmakers given ‘zero’ infra budget

AT LEAST 24 members of the House of Representatives – mostly from the erstwhile ruling Liberal Party and the militant Makabayan bloc – received “zero” appropriation for infrastructure projects in their districts under the 2018 budget, for being critical of President Rodrigo Duterte’s administration, a legislator from the opposition said on Wednesday.

Albay Rep. Edcel Lagman, leader of the opposition bloc dubbed the “Mag were known for their “steadfast critical dissent and perceived waywardness.”

“Zero allocations are projected to punish and silence opposition

legislators even as it is their constituencies who are deprived of the benefits of infrastructure development,” Lagman said in

The same practice however was done by the Aquino and Arroyo administrations, with the Budget department withholding the priority development assistance or pork barrel funds of some op

The pork barrel scheme has since been declared illegal by the Supreme Court, but lawmakers works projects in their districts for

President Duterte signed on General Appropriations Act, which he said was one of his “biggest Christmas gifts for the

Not for ‘pet projects’

Lagman claimed the scrapped budgets were not for pet projects but for infrastructure in congressional districts under - ture Program of the Department of Public Works and Highways ( DPWH), and part of the “Build, Build, Build” program

“What would be adversely affected are the construction of roads and bridges; highways leading to tourism destinations; diversion roads to decongest traffic; flood protection like dikes and What is worse is that highways and bridges for completion in

He said the discarded projects were in the general appropriations bill approved on third reading by the House, but were deleted during the bicameral conference committee meetings, “reportedly upon instructions of

Majority of the infrastructure projects have undergone bidding under the government’s advance

Lagman said all members of - -

A source who asked not to be named told The Manila Times in a text message that members of the Makabayan bloc, composed of ACT Teachers party- list representatives Antonio Tinio and France Castro, Gabriela party-list representatives Emmi de Jesus and Arlene Brosas, Anakpawis partylist representatives Ariel Casilao, Sarah Elago were likewise given

Also “punished” were Dina Quezon City representatives Jose Christopher Belmonte and Jorge Abaya, all members of the Liberal Party in the “Super Majority” co Milagrosa Tan, Zamboanga del Sur

The source said that the punishment of the Liberal Party members in the supermajority was a “show- cause order” for

“[The punishment] is a test for former speaker Belmonte and what he can do about it,” the source said, referring to Quezon

The source also said two representatives were included because of “personal grudges,” while Cerilles and Plaza were punished because Duterte lost

‘Ifugao are taxpayers, too’

Baguilat said in a statement the removal of the budget allocations was an indication of a “danger

“My constituents in Ifugao are would have improved the national roads to the rice terraces and poor

Erice, in a text message, said he would question the removal of his

“They are operating just like a thief in the night with sinister

Tinio claimed pork barrel was “alive and well” under the

“Despite the promise of change and assurances from [ Budget] Secretary Benjamin Diokno and House Appropriations Committee chair Karlo Nograles that the national budget is ‘ pork- free,’ it’s now plain for all to see that the House leadership has resorted to defunding the infrastructure projects of certain legislators as punishment for not toeing the administration line,” Tinio said