ACT Teachers Representative and Deputy Minority Leader Antonio Tinio today called on the Budget Amendments Review Subcommitte (BARSc) and the House leadership to release a detailed committee report on the amendments that will be approved and integrated into the final General Appropriations Bill before it is put to a vote.
Tinio issued the call after confirming in plenary deliberations that some P20 billion worth of amendments were inserted into the DPWH budget.
“Napaamin na natin sa plenary deliberations na magpapasok ng P20 billion worth of amendments sa DPWH budget. Bakit may ganoon, at bakit ganoon kalaki? Iyan na nga ang mga proyekto na pinili ng mga legislators. Sa minimum, dapat maging transparent diyan,” Tinio said.
The veteran lawmaker lamented that when he raised the matter, he was told that no separate committee report would be issued, and that the amendments would simply be incorporated into the amended General Appropriations Bill itself.
“Ibig nilang sabihin, bahala kayong maghanap kung ano ang mga amendments na ipinasok namin. Hindi ito totoong transparency,” Tinio said.
He pointed out that the BARSc was supposedly created, and the so-called small committee abolished, precisely as a reform to make the budget process more transparent to the public.
“Kung seryoso ang commitment ng House sa transparency, dapat maglabas ng report sa mga amendments — these are, essentially, committee amendments,” Tinio said.
He explained that the proper process should be for the Committee on Appropriations, as the mother committee, to convene again after the bicam and approve the amendments as a full committee. For the entire membership to approve such amendments, each member must be able to see them through a report.
“Hindi pwedeng sabihin, ‘Ito na ‘yung tatlong volumes ng GAB, bahala na kayong maghanap, basta may amendments kaming pinasok diyan,'” Tinio said.
Tinio ended with an immediate and unequivocal call:
“I am calling on the BARSc and the House leadership to release a detailed committee report on the amendments that will be approved and integrated into the final General Appropriations Bill na pagbobotohan. Para transparent sa lahat ng miyembro at sa publiko kung ano ba ‘yung binago at kinalikot sa budget,” Tinio said.#
