THE House Committee on Appropriations yesterday approved the proposed P10.5 billion budget of the Office of the President (OP) in just 15 minutes, with no questions asked, as part of tradition.
Malacañang allies approved the OP’s budget at the committee level for the third straight year despite objections from members of the militant Makabayan bloc, who said there appears to be a double standard since the Office of the Vice President’s (OVP) proposed budget is being scrutinized by the panel chaired by Rep. Zaldy Co (PL, Ako Bicol).
After Executive Secretary Lucas Bersamin and deputy executive secretary for finance and administration Amante Liberato presented the breakdown of the OP’s proposed budget, Abra Rep. Ching Bernos moved to terminate the budget hearing to extend parliamen-tary courtesy “in recognition of its distinguished role and significance in government.”
“Mr. Chair, as part of the long-standing tradition and practice of the House of Representatives and the committee on appropriations to extend parliamentary courtesy to the Office of the President, in recognition of its distinguished role and significance in government, I move that we terminate the budget hearing of the (OP),” Bernos said.
Bernos’ motion was carried in just about 15 minutes after the appropriations panel convened its hearing at 9:24 a.m.
Rep. Raoul Manuel (PL, Kabataan) of the Makabayan bloc objected, saying all government agencies undergo the same process every budget deliberation, adding that the OVP has not been given such an exemption this year.
“Isinalang nga natin ang Office of the Vice President dito tapos ngayon nagbibigay ng courtesy sa Office of the President. Double standard ito – nade-deprive ang mga mamamayang Pilipino na malaman paano ginastos ng Presidente, na pinakamataas na opisyal sa Pilipinas, ang kanyang pondo. Nakakabahala ito dahil maraming tanong ang taumbayan (We reviewed the proposed budget of the Office of the Vice President, but now we are extending courtesy to the Office of the President. This is double standard – the Filipino people are being deprived of the right to knowing how the President, who is the highest official in the Philippines, spent his funds. This is concerning because the people have many questions),” Manuel said.
“Mr. Chair, I object dahil ang sabi po ng Presidente (because according to the President), all government agencies undergo the same process every budget deliberation, in response to the Office of the Vice President,” Manuel said, adding: “In fact, Mr. Chair, we’re mak-ing it appear that the President, himself, is lying by evading the process of undergoing scrutiny.”
Navotas City Rep. Toby Tiangco, panel vice chair and presiding officer, asked Manuel to take back his statements, saying the decisions of the House are independent from the Executive department.
Iloilo Rep. Janette Garin then moved that Manuel’s statements be stricken off the record.
Tiangco, who is also the budget sponsor of the OP’s budget, said the Makabayan lawmakers’ questions will be answered during the plenary sessions that will begin on September 16.
FACT-CHECKERS
The Presidential Communications Office (PCO) vowed to will intensify its efforts in fighting disinformation and fake news by desig-nating a “fact-checking officer” in all PCO-affiliated agencies.
Newly appointed Secretary Cesar Chavez disclosed his plan to issue a memorandum circular for such purpose during the appropria-tions panel’s budget hearing on the PCO’s proposed P2 billion budget for 2025.
“Immediately after I took my oath as Acting Secretary of PCO, I met the Malacañang Press Corps and informed them [about] our initi-ative. In the next few days, I’ll be issuing a memorandum circular address to all state media that means PTV-4, Philippine Information Agency, Radyo Pilipinas-Bureau of Broadcast Services, the Philippine News Agency, the IBC-13, and the PCO Proper that all of them will designate fact-check officer,” Chavez said.
Chavez said a fact-check officer or anti-fake news officer “will help us that we cannot be an instrument or a purveyor of fake news.”
“Therefore, institutionally there is going to be fact-check officer in every Radyo Pilipinas, in every Philippine News Agency, in every Philippine Information Agency and state media and PCO,” said Chavez, who also assured Castro that there is no place for red-tagging in the Marcos administration.
CONTRACTUAL EMPLOYEES
Chavez also vowed to regularize the agency’s 217 contractual employees by next year as part of the reorganization process and the proposed new organizational structure, which was submitted in May 2024 and is currently being reviewed by the Department of Budget and Management (DBM).
“The PCO has already submitted to the DBM our proposed new structure last May 2024. According to the DBM, it is now being re-viewed. Should it be approved, there will be hopefully a decrease in number of COS positions by the end of 2024 and hopefully, no more COS positions by 2025,” Chavez said. “There are a total of 217 COS personnel who we also aim to be regularized through the ongoing reorganization process.”
The COS personnel, as highlighted by the Communications chief, represent a fraction of the 485 positions as of June 30, 2024. He disclosed that there are 267 plantilla positions, with 207 filled and 60 still unfilled, and that PCO-Human Resource Management is in the process of filling at least fifty percent of the vacancies by the end of 2024.
“Our office, the proper itself, has a total of 485 positions as of June 30, 2024. Of the 267 plantilla items, 207 are filled and 60 are unfilled. For the unfilled positions, the PCO HRM is currently screening applicants for the vacant positions in the hope of filling up at least fifty percent of vacancies by the end of this year,” Chavez said.
