Bangsamoro entity block grant will be used properly – Zubiri

Senator Juan Miguel Zubiri has given the assurance that safeguards were already in place that would ensure that the block grant to be given to the proposed Bangsamoro region will be used properly.

Zubiri made the assurance after the Congress bicameral conference committee on the proposed Bangsamoro Basic Law (BBL) voted Monday to make the release of the annual block grant for the Bangsamoro Autonomous Region less stringent. They dropped the conditions provided in Senate Bill 1717 prior to the release of the grant.

“Good news. We now have automatic appropriation of the block grant. We will keep the block grant similar to the IRA or Internal Revenue Allotment of the local governments wherein it is automatically appropriated. And the Sanggunian Bayan (City Council) or the Sangguniang Panlalawigan (Provincial Council) is the body that will craft the budget similar to what will be happening in the Bangsamoro government wherein the parliament will craft the budget automatically appropriated to them through a block grant,” Zubiri reported to media Monday night after their 12-hour bicam meeting.

Zubiri earlier said that they will adopt the House version which allows the release of the block grant. The block grants amounts to about P60 billion, or five percent of the national government’s annual internal revenue and customs collection.

Under SB 1717, the Bangsamoro government has to report its the plans and programs to an intergovernmental fiscal policy board before the release is approved.

“But what if they don’t like the report, they don’t like the submission? They will not release the block grant. People there will have no salaries. They would have no developmental funds, no funds for social welfare, for health, for economic activity of the Bangsamoro, developmental activities. That’s why we did not agree with that,” Zubiri explained.

“So what I said was, augment transparency and accountability measures, but we should not hinder the release of funds,” he said in Filipino.

Zubiri said the Bicam-approved BBL stipulates that the parliament must pass the budget, and the funds will be appropriated through the approved budget of parliament.

“That’s when the Commission of Audit enters, the submission of reports, submission of the accounting procedures required by the DBM and other government agencies like the Department of Finance. The Procurement Act and all,” he said.

The report, Zubiri added, shall contain how the funds were utilized and the Bangsamoro government shall follow the appropriations set by the proposed BBL.