Imee: House budget insertions drawn from pensions

MANILA, Philippines — About P10 billion of the P60 billion in last-minute insertions in the 2024 national budget by some members of the House of Representatives were drawn from funds intended for benefits and pensions of government workers and retired military personnel, Sen. Imee Marcos said yesterday.

In an interview over dzBB, Marcos said that as a result of the insertions, at least 16 percent of items or expenses in the General Appropriations Act (GAA) signed by President Marcos turned out be different from the National Expenditure Program he submitted to Congress.

“You’ll see the difference if you look at what the President had submitted as compared with the final version; almost 16 percent had been added. It’s just like printing money, but it’s actually slashing from the pension of workers, from retirement benefits of soldiers – some P10 billion – and large amounts removed from public works and foreign assisted projects,” she said.

She pointed out that even flagship projects were not sufficiently funded under the House version of the GAA.

During the Senate investigation on the signature drive for people’s initiative, senators stumbled upon a P26.7-billion allocation for the Department of Social Work and Development (DSWD)’s Ayuda Para sa Kapos ang Kita program or AKAP.

The senator said the DSWD must explain such allocation, as she called on the Department of Budget and Management (DBM) to refrain from releasing funds until clear regulations are established.

Marcos said the funds for other insertions were hidden in the P450-billion unprogrammed appropriations, which were also not in the original version of the budget submitted by Malacañang and approved by the Senate.

“What happened was this, while we’re carefully examining purchases and receipts, a robbery was going on at the back, at the bodega. That’s what happened,” she said.

On congressmen reminding her that she and her Senate colleagues signed the 2024 budget, Marcos said the senators gave their e-signatures to be attached to the bicameral report, not knowing that AKAP was in the budget.

“In the Senate, we never heard about it. We were surprised,” she said, referring to AKAP.

The government,