Nancy to DENR: Review possible double entry of funding made in ELCAC's P1.2B greening project

Senator Nancy Binay urged the Department of Environment and Natural Resources to review the Enhanced National Greening Program to ensure there will be no double-entry of funding.

The senator sounded the alarm over the possible double-entry as the DENR and the National Security Council (NSC)/National Task Force to End Local Communist Armed Conflict (NTF ELCAC) had conflicting accounts on a P1.2-billion funding earmarked for the greening program of barangays freed from conflict.

Binay emphasized the need for the agency to clear up the issue before the budget plenary hearing, as the amount involved was large and could otherwise be redirected towards other agencies pressed for funding.

"Kasi kung may double-entry pala, that's 1.2 billion funding that we can allocate maybe to DOH or another agency in need, 'di ba? So siguro magandang tingnan kung talagang hindi nago-overlap ang listahan ng barangays," Binay said.

During the DENR's budget deliberation, the senator said that the NTF-ELCAC is giving P1.5 million to 822 barangays that have been cleared from conflict for their greening efforts.

Binay said that during the budget hearing of the National Intelligence Coordinating Agency, it was revealed that the P1.2-billion fund was part of the P16-billion budget of the NTF-ELCAC.

"So more or less, close to 1.2 billion, well, technically, parang additional 1.2 billion for the greening program. May coordination po ba with DENR and iyong implementing, or kayo po ba ang magiging implementing agency, or tuturuan n'yo ba ang mga barangay na gagawa nitong greening program? And paano po natin maa-avoid ang overlapping of funding?" Binay asked.

The DENR said that the barangays under the ELCAC greening project are already included in the P5-billion allocation of the NGP.

"Actually the target for the ELCAC barangays are already included within our budget. Hindi po siya over and above the national greening project. So for 2020, we have about 276 barangays who are involved, who are within the ELCAC areas. So mayroon po tayong target about 27,751 hectares doon sa iba't ibang barangay," Director Lourdes Wagan of the Forest Management Bureau said.

Binay, however, countered that the NTF-ELCAC claimed otherwise.

"Kasi noong pinresent sa amin iyong ELCAC budget, it is considered over and above doon sa greening program. Kasi 'di ba parang each barangay will get 20 million, and part of the 20 million is a 1.5 million greening project," said Binay.