Pork claim of Ping denied

MANILA -- House Deputy Speaker Luis Raymund Villafuerte on Wednesday denied the claim of Senator Panfilo Lacson that he was behind the alleged move to allot PHP1.5 billion for each Deputy Speaker under the proposed 2020 national budget.

In a statement, Villafuerte dismissed Lacson’s claim as “completely baseless” and “fictional”, including the senator’s revelation that each congressman would be given an allocation of PHP700 million in the 2020 budget.

“We never thought of, discussed, planned, and even attempted to add a single peso to a district or for a congressman, what more PHP33 billion (for 22 deputy speakers). And more unbelievable (is) the PHP700 million for each of the 300 congressmen, which

would total PHP210 billion not PHP54 billion as reported,” Villafuerte said. “The claim and math (are) completely out of this world. How can you even try to add that amount and even think, Senator Ping, (that) the executive branch and even the public will not find out,” he added. Villafuerte noted that the General Appropriations Bill (GAB) for 2020 can be scrutinized line-per-line by the Senate. “It’s totally unfair to single me out with such a baseless claim and more importantly try to malign me with a report that’s fictional and a product of imagination and far from reality,” the congressman said. We are confident that the GAB Congress will forward to the Senate will exceed the positive expectations of our counterpart in the Senate and our people,” he added.