Duterte allies in Congress get budget priority —Budget chief

Political allies of the Duterte administration in Congress get the priority in budget allocations for various projects that have been identified, Budget Secretary Benjamin Diokno said Wednesday.

“There will be a distinction between those who are with the administration than those who are not,” Diokno told reporters during a forum in Manila City.

There will be no zero-based budget for projects of opposition lawmakers.

In zero-based budgeting, each project is scrutinized based on the program performance and gets canceled on revamped if the objectives are not met, according to the DBM.

“It was the policy that allies will get more projects,” Diokno said.

He emphasized that the policy is not a form of Priority Development Assistance Fund (PDAF) or pork barrel, which the Supreme Court declared unconstitutional.

“These projects are identified projects that go through process of review. Some of them will be approved or deferred. It’s not PDAF na wala kang feasibility study maglalabas ka ng budget,” Diokno said.

Asked if the distinction between allies and opposition lawmakers is legal, the Budget chief noted that Congress has the power to authorize appropriations.

“Budget is the most political tool for legislation,” he said.

President Rodrigo Duterte approved on Tuesday the P3.67-trillion General Appropriations Act for 2018, along with the Tax Reform for Acceleration and Inclusion which embodies the first package of the administration’s tax reform program. — VDS, GMA News