Echoes of Warning: Constitutional Concerns Over 2024 Budget Resurface Amid Flood Control Controversy, Just as Lagman Predicted

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Echoes of Warning: Constitutional Concerns Over 2024 Budget Resurface Amid Flood Control Controversy, Just as Lagman Predicted

Tabaco City, Philippines – Amid ongoing concerns about the effectiveness and potential corruption in flood control projects, a constitutional issue has resurfaced regarding the 2024 General Appropriations Act (GAA). This issue, flagged by then Congressman Edcel Lagman in a press statement on January 2, 2024, predicted potential problems arising from the ballooning of unprogrammed appropriations within the budget.
 
Lagman, in his statement, argued that the 2024 GAA suffers from a "constitutional infirmity" due to the bicameral conference committee's insertion of P449.5 billion in excess of the P281.9 billion in unprogrammed appropriations recommended by the President in the National Expenditure Program (NEP). He asserted that the President's failure to veto these excess items exacerbated the constitutional defect.
 
Lagman cited Section 25 (1) of Article VI of the Constitution, which states that "The Congress may not increase the appropriations recommended by the President for the operation of the government as specified in the budget." He contended that this prohibition applies to both programmed and unprogrammed appropriations.
 
The 2024 NEP recommended P5.768 trillion for programmed appropriations and P289.1 billion for unprogrammed appropriations. Lagman argued that the total of both should not be exceeded by Congress.
 
Lagman criticized the "errant interpretation" that only the totality of programmed appropriations cannot be increased by Congress. He claimed that unprogrammed appropriations have been "invariably increased annually to accommodate even partisan and pet projects," often funded under "suspicious, or even spurious, claims that contingent funding has been realized." This, he warned, could lead to issues in project implementation and fund allocation.
 
He further highlighted the practice of transferring funded projects to unprogrammed appropriations to accommodate pet projects, ensuring their funding and implementation, sometimes even before programmed appropriations.
 
The timing of this resurfaced concern, initially raised by Lagman, is critical. The debate over the 2024 GAA's unprogrammed appropriations directly impacts the scrutiny of flood control projects in the nation and the developments on Cagraray Island in Bacacay including projects in Alimsog Sto. Domingo, raising serious questions about the allocation and oversight of funds for these and other critical infrastructure projects.
| Nel Adtoon Simpleng Duon Bicol Net TV maestroneladtoon@gmail.com

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