By Billy Begas
House Deputy Minority Leader and Bayan Muna Rep. Carlos Isagani Zarate on Monday called for a full audit of some P993 billion savings under the Duterte administration.
Zarate said the Executive should make public what agencies the savings came from and where it was spent.
He said that the overall savings cannot be found in the budget books submitted by the Executive to Congress since 2017 until 2020.
“But para sigurong kinidlatan ang Malacanang, nitong budget proposal for 2022 ay biglang nag-appear na naman itong overall savings,” Zarate added.
Zarate said that in 2017, the government has P334 billion worth of savings, more than P373 billion in 2018, more than P286 billion in 2019 and more than P200 billion last year.
“Bakit di agad naibigay ang special risk allowance (SRA), active hazard duty pay at iba pang benepisyo samantalang halos isang trilyon ang savings ng Duterte admin mula ng 2017?” Zarate asked.
Zarate said that savings could be used to augment the General Appropriations Act and fund the projects of the President’s allies.
“Pwede niyang ibigay ito for patronage sa mga gusto niyang bigyan, especially that election year is coming, sa halip na sa kabutihan ng ating mga health workers at ayuda sa mamamayan,” Zarate explained.
Zarate also hit the Duterte government’s lack of transparency on the trillions of loans.
“Halimbawa doon sa usapin ng bilyon-bilyon na loans na kinontrata ng pamahalaan nitong nakaraang taon na sinabi nilang COVID-19 interventions, $19.5 bilyon at nung tinanong natin kung saan ito napunta ay hindi nila deretsahan o prangkang sinabi kung saan ito napunta at ano ang mga kondisyones nito,” he added.
