DAVAO City Rep. Karlo Alexei Nograles, chairperson of the House of Representatives committee on appropriations, on Wednesday defended that its approved version of the proposed P3.767-trillion national budget for next year 2018 was “pork free.”
“Just like last year, this year and the next years, I reiterate my position that the national budget is and will be free of any pork barrel,” Nograles said.
Congress strictly complies with the decision of the Supreme Court, which declared as unconstitutional pork barrel funds or lumpsum, discretionary funds that legislators in the past were able to control through post-enactment methods or measures, he said.
“There was no such thing in the national budget because all programs are itemized and specifically defined and described in the budget book. The budget process and deliberations have been very transparent and the budget book is open to everyone’s scrutiny,” Nograles said.
Nograles added that under the present budget and proposed P3.767-trillion national budget for 2018, legislators could not interfere in the disbursement and utilization of the funds as well as the implementation of the projects and programs as this was purely an executive function.
“From the moment the budget law becomes effective, no member of Congress can play any role in the implementation or enforcement of the budget since this will violate the principle of separation of powers as held by the Supreme Court,” Nograles said.
He added: “Once the budget law is passed by Congress, then we turn it over to the executive to execute. Legislators cannot regulate the release of funds or influence how the Executive Department would utilize the budget.
“Nothing in the budget law allows Congress or any of its members to play any role in the execution or implementation of the budget.”
Nograles said the House, which exercises the power of the purse, had exorcised discretionary funds from the annual budget in bid to promote transparency as advocated by the Duterte administration.
This was accomplished through line item budgeting, which prevents post-enactment appropriations, he added.
“President Duterte abhors corruption just as much as he abhors drugs and criminality. He is also a lawyer. For these reasons alone, he won’t let PDAF or any form of pork barrel crawl back into our budget culture,” Nograles said.