Social Watch: 2015 savings might be used for campaign
The president of Social Watch Philippines, Inc. warned the public that the government funds, which will be declared “savings” in the controversial Disbursement Acceleration Program (DAP) for the 2015 budget, may be used to cause imbalance of power among the executive and legislative of bodies of the government.
Social Watch Philippines, Inc. president and former Treasurer of the Philippines Professor Leonor Briones told reporters during the Kapehan sa Dabaw at the SM City Davao Annex yesterday that after the Supreme Court ruled the DAP as unconstitutional, the congress and the executive body of the government have instead proposed that the so-called savings may be declared under the special provisions of the General Appropriations Act for “justifiable reasons” and this could be declared “at any time”.
“Ang long-term nga implikasyon niini, mawala na ang Congressional power of the purse tungod ato na man ning ibalhin sa executive. Mawala ang balance of power because you will be really submitting the power of the purse completely to the executive. Ma-legitimize pud ang ingon sa SC nga illegal ug unconstitutional ang DAP (The long term implication of this is the Congress will lose its power of the purse since they will transfer it to the executive. The balance of power will be lost because you will be really submitting the power of the purse completely to the executive. This will also legitimize the rule of SC that DAP is illegal and unconstitutional.)” Briones said.
She al so said that once this proposal will be passed, the congress may only be working on only 23 percent of the budget especially that most of the budget is from lump sums.
Briones suggested that the congress should clarify its proposal on the declaration of savings “at any time” as this phrase, how minor it may seem to be, is contrary to the SC ruling on DAP.
The 2015 budget proposal is currently on its third and final reading and Briones said the congress should also explain why they voted “aye” or “nay”
to their constituents since the passing of the proposal may mean fewer budgets for the members of the congress.
Briones, however, has expressed her worry on the passing of the proposal saying that the proposal has already reached the third and final reading and she claimed that the members of the congress seem more inclined on its passing despite its effect on the congress. She also said President Benigno Aquino III has a pending motion for reconsideration on the SC ruling on DAP and the ruling of SC may not be retroactive once the proposal has been passed.