Supreme Court acknowledged Disbursement
Acceleration Program has yielded positive results: Palace
The Supreme Court (SC) acknowledged that the
Disbursement Acceleration Program (DAP) has yielded positive results that
enhanced the economy, but diverged in its interpretation of the Constitution on
the fine details of budget execution, Malacañang said.
In a statement issued during Thursday’s press
briefing, Presidential Communications Operations Office Secretary Herminio
Coloma, Jr. said, “We note that the Supreme Court affirmed the authority of the
President as Chief Executive to implement the Disbursement Acceleration Program
as a stimulus program to achieve economic growth and as an administrative
system of prioritizing spending in the execution of the national budget.”
“It is in the interpretation of the Constitution
and applicable laws on the fine details of budget execution that the views of
the executive and the Supreme Court diverged,” he added.
Coloma further said that according to the
Supreme Court, “the implementation of the DAP yielded undeniably positive
results that enhanced the economic welfare of the country.”
The Court cited such infrastructure as roads,
bridges, homes for the homeless, hospitals, and classrooms as among the
“visible” results of the program.
Coloma meanwhile noted that in implementing the
DAP, the executive branch “exercised good faith and due diligence, in
accordance with existing laws and pertinent auditing rules and
procedures."
“We will review the decision further to gain a
more comprehensive understanding of its ramifications and study the appropriate
legal options,” the Palace official said.
The High Tribunal on Wednesday declared in a
92-page decision that the DAP has violated Section 25 (5) Article VI of the
1987 Constitution.
Among the acts violated were the cross-border
transfer of savings of the Executive Branch to augment the appropriations of
offices under the other branches of government; and the funding of projects,
activities and programs not covered by any appropriation in the General
Appropriations Act (GAA). PND (ag)
Palace says government stepping up efforts
against hoarders
Malacañang has again warned hoarders and
profiteers against actions that jack up the prices of basic commodities.
"Tinitiyak po ng ating pamahalaan na
seryoso ang kampanyang ito at pananagutin ang mga lumalabag sa batas,"
Presidential Communications Operations Office Secretary Herminio Coloma, Jr.
said during Thursday’s press briefing in Malacañang.
It was reported earlier that police raided a
warehouse in Marilao, Bulacan which was operated by individuals involved in
illegal rice trading.
Coloma said he was informed by Presidential
Assistant for Food Security and Agricultural Modernization Secretary Francisco
Pangilinan that the operation in Bulacan was part of the government’s action
plan, as ordered by the President.
He also said that the President has instructed
the Department of Justice, Department of Agriculture, Department of Trade and
Industry and the Office of the Presidential Assistant for Food Security and
Agricultural Modernization to step up efforts against hoarders and profiteers.
These operations will continue so long as there
are people or groups trying to hoard goods to create an artificial increase in
prices, he said.
Coloma further said that the government is
continuously monitoring the prices of garlic amid reports that prices remain
high despite the Department of Agriculture’s move to distribute more garlic to
major markets in Metro Manila and other areas.
"Kaya nga tuloy-tuloy pa rin ang pagtutok
ng ating pamahalaan sa presyo at supply ng mga pangunahing food items, at buo
ang kahandaan na usigin, panagutin sila, dalhin sila sa hustisya, at patawan ng
karampatang parusa kapag napatunayang sila ay lumahok sa hoarding, profiteering
at cartel-like activities," he said. PND (as)
Palace: no politics in implementation of
bottom-up budgeting
The Palace has denied politicizing the
government’s bottom-up budgeting, saying the scheme is meant to address poverty
at the grassroots level.
In a press briefing in Malacañang on Thursday,
Presidential Communications Operations Office Secretary Herminio Coloma, Jr
said the basis for the scheme is the Philippine Development Plan, which gives
priority to poverty eradication and the achievement of inclusive growth.
"Batid naman natin na ang grassroot
communities natin ay pinapangasiwaan ng mga local government units, kaya ang
bottom-up budgeting ay isang paraan kung paano mapapalahok sa makabuluhang
paraan ang ating mga lokal na pamahalaan," he said.
Coloma was addressing concerns aired by UP
Professor Leonor Briones and former budget secretary Benjamin Diokno that the
scheme, which focuses on anti-poverty projects being carried out by local
government units (LGUs) currently under the supervision of Interior and Local
Government Secretary Manuel Roxas, might be used to groom the administration’s
candidate for the presidential election in 2016.
Bottom-up budgeting began during the term of the
late interior and local government secretary Jesse Robredo.
“Simula noon ay nakita natin ‘yung mas masiglang
pagkilos ng mga local government units, ‘yung kanilang pagtalima sa mga
citizen’s charter nila, ‘yung kanilang pagtiyak na ang kanilang ipinapatupad na
programa ay mayroong partikular na layunin para itaas ang kalidad ng buhay ng
kanilang mga mamamayan,” Coloma said. PND (as)
