Sen. Panfilo “Ping” M. Lacson on Tuesday questioned a “uniform” P180-million lump sum allocation for evacuation centers in each of the country’s 17 regions totaling more than P3 billion – as well as an apparent heavy allocation for “ayuda” or social services – under the proposed 2027 national budget.
Lacson said his and his staff’s scrutiny of the National Expenditure Program showed the proposed evacuation center allocations lacked key details, including specific locations where they would be built.
“We observed that each of the 17 regions was given a P180-million lump sum for evacuation centers. There were no details on where they would be located. The P180 million was uniformly distributed to each region,” he said in English and Filipino in an interview on DZXL radio.
“Was there any study to determine if a region needed more evacuation centers? There seemed to be none. That is not acceptable. There were no specifications or locations. Each of Regions 1 to 17 was simply given P180 million for a total of more than P3 billion,” he added.
In Filipino: Lacson Kinuwestiyon ang Tig-P180M Alokasyon para sa Evacuation Center Bawat Rehiyon, ‘Ayuda’ sa Panukalang 2027 Budget
Lacson said the lack of details raised questions about whether the allocations were based on actual needs and priorities in each region.
Also, he said he and his staff are looking into items that may indicate the 2027 budget could become a “political” or “election” budget ahead of the 2028 national elections.
“It could become an election or campaign budget this early because 2027 will bring us closer to the 2028 elections,” he said.
Lacson said he had instructed his staff to scrutinize the proposed budget closely, particularly its balance between social services and development spending.
Meanwhile, Lacson said they also found many “ayuda” or “social services” items in the 2027 proposed budget.
He said that while there is nothing wrong with providing assistance to those in need, the government must also ensure the national budget supports long-term development.
“The proposed 2027 budget seems to be very generous with ayuda. I told my staff to look closely at it and see if this could become an ‘ayuda’ budget. There’s nothing wrong with ‘ayuda’ but we should also look at the long-term development side of how the budget is used,” he said.
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Lacson Kinuwestiyon ang Tig-P180M Alokasyon para sa Evacuation Center Bawat Rehiyon, ‘Ayuda’ sa Panukalang 2027 Budget
Kinuwestiyon ni Sen. Panfilo “Ping” M. Lacson nitong Martes ang tig-P180-milyong lump sum allocation para sa mga evacuation center sa bawat isa sa 17 rehiyon ng bansa na nagkakahalaga ng mahigit P3 bilyon – gayundin ang tila malaking alokasyon para sa “ayuda” – sa ilalim ng panukalang pambansang badyet para sa 2027.
Sinabi ni Lacson na sa pagsusuri niya at ng kanyang staff sa National Expenditure Program ay lumitaw na kulang sa mahahalagang detalye ang mga alokasyon para sa evacuation center, kabilang ang mga partikular na lokasyon kung saan itatayo ang mga ito.
“Napansin namin, hati-hati sa 17 regions, binigyan ng tig-P180 milyon para sa evacuation centers. Wala namang naka-specify. Saan ba sa Region 1, 2, o 3 tatayuin yan? Kaya lump sum, parang uniform, uniformly distributed ang P180 million sa evacuation center,” aniya sa panayam sa DZXL.
“May pag-aaral ba rito na isang region marami nang evacuation center? Parang wala eh… Hindi naman pupuwede yan. Walang specifications. Walang location… Basta Regions 1 to 17 yan tig-P180M kayo, kaya pumalo mahigit P3 bilyon mahigit,” dagdag niya.
Sinabi ni Lacson na nagbunsod ng mga katanungan ang kakulangan ng mga detalye kung ang mga alokasyon ba ay nakabatay sa aktuwal na pangangailangan at prayoridad ng bawat rehiyon.
Dagdag niya, sinisiyasat nila ng kanyang staff ang mga item sa panukalang 2027 budget na maaaring magpahiwatig na maaari itong maging isang “political” o “election” budget bago ang 2028 national elections.
“Baka nga maging parang election or campaign budget this early, kasi 2027, parang tatawid tayo sa 2028 national election,” aniya.
Diin ni Lacson na inatasan niya ang kanyang staff na masusing suriin ang panukalang badyet, partikular ang balanse nito sa pagitan ng serbisyong panlipunan at paggastos para sa pagpapaunlad.
Samantala, sinabi ni Lacson na nakakita rin sila ng maraming item para sa “ayuda” o “social services” sa panukalang 2027 budget.
Aniya, walang masama sa pagbibigay ng tulong sa mga nangangailangan, ngunit dapat ding tiyakin ng pamahalaan na sinusuportahan ng pambansang badyet ang pangmatagalang pag-unlad.
“Sa 2027 budget, parang saganang sagana sa ayuda. Sabi ko sa staff tingnan nyo mabuti baka ayuda budget na ito. Ang ayuda walang masama diyan pero dapat tingnan ang long term ang development side ng paggamit ng budget,” aniya.
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