Press Release
December 3, 2013

Interview after the approval on the third reading of the joint resolution
on the extension of calamity and quick response funds

Iba-bicam pa ito sir?

Iba-bicam dahil may pagkakaiba, maliban na lamang kung ia-adopt ng Kamara ang version ng Senado.

May mga changes ba sir?

Minor changes ang ginawa namin, una klinaro naming yung title, yung naman talaga ang intension, i-extend ang validity ng 2013 budget para sa calamity at QRF fund, pangalawa tinanggal namin yung reference sa local government units dahil kung calamity at QRF walang participation ang local government units doon, pangatlo naglagay kami ng accountability, reportorial at transparency provisions kaugnay sa utilization ng pondong magagamit na humigit kumulang na P12 billion ayon sa DBM.

12 lang yung bumoto kanina, hindi ba dapat majority?

Hindi, majority of quorum lamang ang kinakailangan, kailangan mo yung absolute majority ikanga in certain bills but not in so far as this bill is concerned, this joint resolution because this is simply an ordinary bill.

Di ba dapat P20.8 billion yon, bakit naging P12 billion?

Hindi, yung total savings ayon kay Secretary Abad, don sa last hearing namin ay P12 billion lamang, baka na-exhaust na nila yung savings dahil siyempre in-augment na nila yung calamity at QRF ng ibat-ibang ahensiya dahil na nga sa mga nagdaang kalamidad.

Sir kailan ang bicam?

Depende, kukunsultahin namin yung Kamara pagmay clean kami ipapakita sa kanila, kokonsulta sa House leaders, so by tomorrow afternoon we will know kung kailangan pa bang bicam o hindi. Yung supplemental ano na yung status?

Hinihintay pa namin. Tapos na ba sa House? (Parang wala pa) Hindi kami makakagalagaw hanggat hindi naaaprubahan ng House at napapadala sa amin. Nagconduct na kami ng hearing dito, kung kailan man nila mapadala sa senado, agad agad kaya naming i-report out yung version ng Senate o yung committee report para mapag-usapan at madinig din dito sa plenary.

Would you know bakit nag-abstain si Senator Enrile?

I don't know. But he's the minority leader, either personally or because of the role the minority has to play. I guess that would be a reason or one of the reasons why he voted that way.

Since this involved rehab funds how can the rehab czar tap these funds?

Hindi ko alam ang mandate ni Senator Lacson at hindi ko alam ang role na gagampanan nya rito pero ang mga pinapasa naming budget ay sa pamamagitan ng implementing agencies, these are the line departments. So hindi ko alam kung ano ang nilalaman ng Executive Order sa opisinang iki-create pero maliwanag na ang implementasyon nito ay sa pamamagitan ng line agencies.

Pero sir may mention ng authorization from the executive department... yung ita-tap ang lump-sum appropriations through the executive department...

Because ang savings ng constitutional bodies and agencies with fiscal autonomy, hindi naman talaga pwedeng gawin ng executive iyon, savings lamang ito mula sa executive, so hindi pwedeng galawin ang savings ng judiciary, halimbawa ng Kongreso, para dito. At ang validity ng savings ng Kongreso at ng institutions enjoying fiscal autonomy ay nagko-continue at walang one year validity iyon.

Yung President cannot delegate his power over these funds to any person?

He can, there's no prohibition. These funds are QRF, delegated iyon sa secretary, ang calamity fund it's the President but once he realigns it to fund the QRF of an agency, delegated na rin iyon sa agencies.

Sa joint reso, ang concern dito ang calamity fund at quick response fund na hanggang year end, so ililipat, supposedly DAP...

Hindi pwede ang MBPF dahil nilagay naming appropriations valid pero ang pagkukunan un-alloted obligations and unreleased appropriations mula sa MOE at capital outlay. So may savings pa palang maiiwan?

Ayon sa hearing naming P12 billion ang savings ng kasalukuyang taon, as of our last hearing.

Pwede siyang gamitin sa pre-calamity?

Yung calamity fund, pero yung QRF hindi.

Di ba pipirmahan pa ni Presidente dahil joint reso?

Definitely, that's the force and effect of law. (So it requires the signature of the President?) Joint resolution to noh? Force and effect of law, actually good question. Malamang, oo, because that the force and effect of law.

Paano sir yung distribution ng specific amount for each department...

Wala. Ang distribution nito ay P12 billion na ilalaan para sa bahala ang executive branch na ilalaan para sa calamity fund at quick response fund. Walang distribution by department.

Paano iyon sir, paano mababantayan? Dahil doon sa reportorial?

Magrereport sila. And they cannot avail of the funds unless they submit a special budget to the DBM which they have to post in their website and give it to us.

But the DBM will inform you how much will be delegated to each department?

Not delegated, how much they allocated for the QRF of each department. (So nag-e-expect kayo ng ganoong report?) Yes definitely.

Ang P12 billion hindi pwedeng gamitin ni Senator Lacson for rehab?

Anong depenisyon ang pwedeng gamitin? Senator Lacson or the office that will be created is not an implementing agency, coordinative yung kanya eh, so it's the agencies who will use these funds, bid it out or implemented themselves. Ang understanding ko ay coordination yung kay Senator Lacson. Senator Lacson, unless, doon sa EO, but I doubt if that can be done, magiging implementing agency siya pero I don't see that happening.

Pero hinihingi nga authority to implement the rehab project?

Hindi ko alam, ayaw kong panghimasukan iyan dahil usapan iyan sa pagitan ni Pangulong Aquino at Senator Lacson, hindi ko pa nakikita yung EO tungkol doon.

Necessary ba yon sir mayroon pang rehab czar when you have all line agencies functioning?

Well I think the President needs all the help he can get. Masyadong malaki ang problema at malaki pa ang maitutulong ni Senator Lacson sa anumang kapasidad, kabilang na ang kapasidad na ito.

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