cartoon by: Aaron Paul C. Caril
EDITORIAL
Funding the ‘pork’
As elections draw near, the use of unprogrammed funds to
finance government pet projects has become a hotly debated
issue. For 2024 alone, Congress inserted P449.54 billion more
unprogrammed funds than the budget requested by the executive
department, giving a total of P731.44 billion at its disposal.
Prof. Cielo Magno, who briefly also worked as an
Undersecretary in the Department of Finance, revealed that P450
billion worth of projects are included in the national budget but
are unfunded.
So, where will the government get the money to finance
these pet projects?
One controversial executive branch move is Department of
Finance Circular 003—2024, which allows the return to the
national treasury of unutilized funds of the Philippine Health
Insurance Corporation (PHIC) worth P89.9 billion.
The Solicitor General defended the Circular, arguing that
raising funds for government expenses is a legislative prerogative
and that the concept of an unprogrammed appropriation funded
through excess revenue/funds is not novel.He also stressed that
in Belgica v. Executive Secretary, the High Court explained that
the concept of unprogrammed appropriations, which necessarily
includes special provisions, is valid.
But opposition Senator Aquilino Pimentel Jr., the Philippine
Medical Association, and several others disagreed and said that
by taking out the alleged ‘unused funds’ —pooled funds from
members’ contributions, whether direct or indirect—Congress,
DOF, and PhilHealth deprive the Filipino people of access to
quality and affordable health care goods and services.
In her interview with ANC, Magno said that what is wrong
with that is that aside from increasing or bloating the unfunded
portion of the budget, they also transferred important projects
that the government should fund. She noted that several
important projects have no funding.”What is in this
unappropriated portion of the budget? The payment for our
healthcare workers that has been long overdue since the
pandemic; AFP modernization; foreign-assisted infrastructure
projects–including projects that the President mentioned in the
SONA.
Not long ago, private hospitals complained about Philhealth’s
delay in paying their claims. Then, there was news that the
corporation’s actuarial life may only last until 2027, even if it
receives funding from PAGCOR and PCSO.
Magno further observed that Philhealth does not even cover
all leukemia medications, a serious medical condition. It only
covers certain types of leukemia. So, a lot of people suffer from
this.
Now that funds are needed to finance P731.44 billion of
projects, P449.54 billion were inserted by our good lawmakers.
The government is tinkering with the money intended to save the
lives of so many Filipinos who are in dire need of hospitalization.
What could be a heart-piercing scenario is when the most
needed money for cancer and other critical illnesses is now being
used to finance the construction of a road in the middle of
nowhere.