Senate budget still retains ‘savings’ redefinition

BUDGET watchdog Social Watch Philippines maintains its critique that the 2015 budget approved by the Senate on November 26, 2014 still contains the redefinition of “savings” and the possibility of its declaration at any time of the year. Such redefinition can perpetuate the pork barrel system and mechanisms similar to the Disbursement Acceleration Program, both of which have been declared unconstitutional by the Supreme Court.

Sec. 68 (b) of the Amendments to General Provisions also states that savings can result from the “discontinuance or abandonment of an ongoing program, activity or project (P/A/P) by the head of the agency concerned due to causes not attributable to the fault or negligence of the agency concerned which would not render it possible for the agency to implement said P/A/P, at any time during the validity of the appropriations.”