Zero budget threat a joke, says Alvarez

HOUSE Sp eak er Pantaleon Alvarez said he was only joking when he threatened to give zero budget to anti-federalism l aw m ak er s.

In a television interview on Monday, January 22, Alvarez retracted the statement he made during the oath taking of PDPLaban members in Iloilo last week.

He said he does not have the power to slash the budget of lawmakers opposed to federalism.

“Nagbibiro lang ako na al am niyo nagpapasalamat ako na sumali sila doon sa partido at nagpapasalamat din ako na iyong kanilang mga representatives ay nasa majority kaya nga hindi sila makakakuha ng zero budget, di ba? Hindi naman seryoso iyon at saka iyong iba naman putak ng putak, di ba? E alam naman nilang hindi ko magagawa iyon?” he said.

“Ang pagse-zero ng budget kasi dumadaan iyan sa Senado.Those are empty words actually,” he further said.

As example, the Speaker cited the Commission on Human Rights budget.

It can be recalled that the more than P600 million budget proposed by CHR was reduced to a mere P1,000, which was restored during the bicameral conference committee hearing on the 2018 budget .

Alvarez said he will respect the opposition lawmakers’ decision to not join the administration but stressed that they should also be willing to face the consequences.

Ifugao Rep. Teddy Baguilat lamented that the slashing of the budget for his constituents has stemmed from a joke.

“Nakakalungkot na nga na nabawasan kami ng budget sa Ifugao, mas masakit isipin na ito pala ay bunga ng biro,” he said.

“Pero hindi biro yung pahirapan ang isang lugar ng mga taxpaying Pilipinos at “i-zero budget” sila dahil naisip lang ng mga makapangyarihan na magbanta at manakot sa mga opposition,” he added.

The lawmaker said it’s not empty words when upland indigenous communities in the Cordillera suffer from political whims.

Anakpawis Rep. Ariel Casilao advised the public not to trust the flipflopping statements of Al var ez.

“Mahirap po paniwalaan ang mga ganyang pahayag, tulad ni pangulong Duterte na pabago-bago ang mga pahayag sa dulo natutupad parin na naman ang kanilang kagustuhan,” he said.

“Don’t treat public funds as if a private ownership,” he further told Al var ez.

ACT Teachers Rep. Antonio Tinio, for his part, said: “He knows fully well that the Senate will not interfere if the House leadership wants to zero the pork allocations of its members -as they have already done in the 2018 budget.”

The budget supposedly for projects of some 24 lawmakers critical to the administration have been reportedly reduced to zero in the last minute of the bicameral conference committee hearing on the 2018 budget.

Alvarez had confirmed this. In defense, he said the budget for the projects proposed by opposition lawmakers will fund the free college education and the salary increase of soldiers and military. (Keith Calayag/SunStar Philipp i n es)