Bayan Muna welcomes SC nod to tackle petition voiding UA insertions in 2024 Budget

📷Bayan Muna Chairman Neri Colmenares

Bayan Muna Chair Neri Colmenares today welcomed the Supreme Court decision to hold oral arguments on Bayan Muna’s petition to declare unconstitutional the insertion of Php 449.5 billion in the unprogrammed appropriations under the 2024 GAA.

He urges the Court to stop the transfer of billions in Philhealth funds to pork barrel projects in the UA and prohibit the abuse of presidential certification of urgency for the 2025 budget.

“We welcome the Supreme Court decision to conduct oral arguments on our Petition to declare unconstitutional the Php 449.5 billion surreptitiously inserted by the Bicameral Conference Committee (BCC) in the Unprogrammed Appropriations (UA) of the 2024 budget. However, even if the oral arguments are set for next year, we hope the Court will still act and stop the transfer of billions of Philhealth funds to the UA while this case is pending.”

Bayan Muna questioned the insertion of Section 1 (d), Chapter XLIII of R.A. No. 11975 which added the ‘Fund balance of the GOCCs from any remainder in their reserve funds’ as a source of Unprogrammed Appropriations.  This was another insertion of the BCC and therefore void because it was not part of the budget bill that underwent second and third readings as required by the Constitution. PhilHealth funds cannot be transferred to the UA if the provision is void” said Bayan Muna Chairman and human rights lawyer Neri Colmenares.

“Additionally, Bayan Muna asked the SC to stop once and for all the yearly abuse of the presidential power to shortcut legislative processes by issuing a certification of urgency even if there is no public emergency or calamity.  We urge Pres. Ferdinand Marcos not to issue another presidential certification of urgency, and allow the bill for the 2025 budget to undergo scrutiny  by following the constitutionally required second and third readings on three separate days.  Many irregular budget items like the billions in flood control projects, confidential funds, and other pork barrel items managed to be inserted in the budget because of the legislative shortcuts engendered by presidential certifications. Should another baseless certification be issued for the 2025 budget, we could again challenge it before the Supreme Court” Colmenares warned.

“Bayan Muna also urges the Bicameral Conference Committee that will again be constituted for the 2025 budget to no longer follow its “tradition” of realigning billions to lump sum projects or inserting billions in projects that were not previously approved by both Houses of Congress. Should any BCC meeting be held we demand that this be held in Congress and must be accessible to the public and the media instead of its being held in the Manila Polo Club or expensive hotels.  Why spend public funds in expensive hotels when the BCC meetings could be held in Congress for free? We also demand that transcripts of BCC deliberations be recorded so we will know who inserted what project or item.  The public deserves to know who was responsible for wasting public funds” added Colmenares who has  questioned irregularities in the annual budgets when he was a Bayan Muna representative in Congress.

“The BCC is a body that is not even mentioned in the Constitution, cannot just by pass congressional approval.  If Pres. Marcos will not issue a baseless presidential certification this year and the BCC practice of distorting the budget is stopped, then Bayan Muna sees no problem if the oral arguments are set next year.” he concluded. #