!!f uonauV, February 11,201 9 , Editor: Angel R.

Calso

Ensure transparency
in public spending
FTERmonthsof

blcameral conterence committee approved on the same

day a.reconciled version of this yeai.'i budget. Following
its ratification, the annual appropriations in'ill be trans-
mitted to Malacanang for Piesid^ent
ent Duterte
Dutertelss signature.
sisnahrre

Lawmakers junked the cash-based budget system of the Depart-

ment of Budget and Management, sayingthis will do more harmihan
good. Instead, they went for the obligations based budgeting, which
allows appropriations_a_nd obligations until the next fLcal
ieaa e*_
tending the validity of funds to two years.
The 2019 budget contains insertions made by lawmakers called
..
'pork" insertions. Sen. Panfilo M. Lacson Sr., *ho has expressed his
disapproval of pork-barrel funds, has asked the presideni to remove
thr pork insertions' in the budget by using his line-item veto power.
For fiscal year 2019, the education sector will get the lioni share
_
of the national budget. Based on the budget docriments, the House
of Representatives introduced p20.65-bil1ion realignments while
senators made P25.4-billion insertions or a total of F46.35 billion.
At the Senate, 15 senators voted in favor of the ratification of the
bicam report on the spending bill, while five voted against it Sen_
ate Minority Leader Franklin M, Drilon, and Senatori Lacson, Risa
Hontiveros, Paolo Benigno A. Aquino IV and Francis N. pangilinan.
In a privileged speech clarifying his vote, Drilon cited repoits that
all senators w€re unfairly accused ofgetting pS billion each in pork_
b-arrel allo-cations. "There were previous reports that one province in
Visayas will get P3.3 billion in infrastructure projects,,' Jaid Drilon,
adding: "Mr. President, J deny_ and take exception to these allega-
tions. I want to make of record.that the province referred tb is not
my province of lloilo." NEX| ?AA Pt-9
 Lacso-n also took the floor or
,.
*':f :Ili;*iil"#;','"'Jl,:;:i"#:,;',:i:ilH,::'ffi,:11
bill, subsequently ,,ola j"Uu,
"p'i"
Pork-laden" annual appropriation s.
Itwa,s, indeed, a m";;n;;;;
gate berore.its app;;ilffi,*:
"'"tT.,lil1.tr,lr:Xi:li;f"??Xfi

Hg'l+1il*11$:,qt'ld4i;:l[gid'ffi
deveiopment; ;;h"ff;:: 111-lnaifinsnlograms on human

*lg*"g*jh*l*1+";if,;',ii':t
rr ll,:$,13il1ftt*:'jj5f ::'^"**;s- al prioritv items identined

:i:*t*',".":;mi;='T";;1'fl1'lt:li:::* j:i',hr.'.""1i
most especiaily;..i or ensure that evervone,
iiii'olJ.t?Ftam' to health car". #h"t',
impo.rtant i, rlr'tt,u iir,t"r,lt:l3".":cess
ency in managing
_
;ii;;;il;;:fff.}::tration to show transpar-
paa,-e- ftQ