ROXAS ON BUDGET INSERTIONS: "MAGPAKATOTOO TAYO"

The Senate Committee on Finance today approved the recommendation of Liberal President Senator Mar Roxas to release to the public all amendments made by the Senate and by senators in coming up with the 2008 General Appropriations Act.

"Magpakatotoo tayo. Ilahad natin at ihayag ang lahat ng entries sa budget na ginawa ng Senado at ng mga senador sa Senate plenary at sa bicameral conference, nang sa ganoon mananatili ang tiwala ng publiko sa kanilang institusyon," said Roxas.

"All amendments, insertions and earmarks undertaken by senators for 2008 will now be out in the open. I think we should do this even for the budgets of 2007, going backwards, so we will know exactly who proposed each and every item in the budget," he added.

The Ilonggo senator made the motion for the disclosure of the budgetary amendments during the hearing this morning of the Senate finance committee headed by Senator Juan Ponce Enrile.

"Itong patakaran para sa transparency sa budget ay hindi dapat sa ngayon lang. Hindi porke't walang kontrobersiya ay hindi ito idi-disclose sa publiko. Mula ngayon, dapat bukas tayo sa publiko sa bawat pagpasa ng budget," he said.

He stressed that his colleagues must push on with its probe, regardless of the outcome, in order to preserve the integrity of the Senate.

"Hindi tayo umiwas sa pag-imbestiga sa mga anomalya at pagkakamali ng administrasyon. Ngayon na may kontrobersiya sa loob mismo ng Senado, ay kailangang manatili ang kredibilidad natin, at ipakita na wala tayong pinapaboran na kahit sino," he said.

Roxas has filed Senate Bill 2623, the "Congressional Insertions Transparency Act of 2008," that will institutionalize the policy of transparency and accountability in crafting the yearly budget.

Under the proposed law, all budgetary amendments included in the enacted budget will be published in national newspapers within 20 days. It also allows for the filing of charges against legislators found to have placed double or multiple insertions that are self-serving or have a conflict in interest.

He had also earlier filed Senate Bill 109, the proposed Free Information Act, which would allow for the speedy disclosure of all information of public interest.