ICE BREAKER

House Minority Leader Edcel Lagman has come up with possible solutions to diffuse a looming 3 way confrontation among Congress, Malacanan and the Judiciary over the controversial  Miscellaneous Personnel Benefits Fund in the proposed P1.8trillion peso national budget for 2012.

Justice Committee Vice-Chair Rodolfo farinas warned the court that its justices risked impeachment over the MPBF, a palace innovation to ensure that funds for unfilled positions in government are not misused.

In his statement to media, Lagman urged the Appropriations committee to “Revert the funds for unfilled positions to the Judiciary, Congress and Constitutional Commissions but rein its utilization by special provisions.”

The budget for unfilled positions are usually under the personnel services provisions of the budget for Congress, the Judiciary and the constitutional commissions.

Lagman made the proposal  in a letter dated 20 September 2011 to Rep. Joseph Emilio Abaya, concurrent Chair of the Appropriation Committee and the small committee tasked with effecting amendments to HB No. 5023 or the General Appropriations Bill (GAB).

If the amendment is accepted, lagman said it the following special provisions to allow the bill to conform to the requirements for transparency.

1.               Funds allocated for unfilled positions shall be utilized exclusively for operationalizing unfilled positions;

2.               The earmarked funds cannot be used to augment Maintenance and Other Operating Expenses (MOOE), purchase of equipment and/or financing operations; and

3.               Any savings at the end of the fiscal year in the appropriations for unfilled positions shall be carried over in its entirety to the following year’s agency budget and cannot be realigned to support other activities or expense items.

Lagman noted that  In the initial meeting of the small committee on 21 September 2011, Rep. Abaya undertook to seriously consider his proposal.

The house approved the Aquino government’s budget bill on 2^nd reading last Friday after a 2 week marathon session. The House is now accepting proposals for amendments before voting on the bill on 3^rd reading when sessions resume next week.