PHNO-PNoy: PNoy's LIBERAL PARTY TO USHER 'NEW BRAND OF POLITICAL PATRONAGE'

PNoy's LIBERAL PARTY TO USHER 'NEW BRAND OF POLITICAL
PATRONAGE'
[PRESIDENT NOY AQUINO
DURING THE 2010 PRESIDENTIAL ELECTION CAMPAIGN]
MANILA, SEPTEMBER 6, 2012 (STANDARD) By Christine F. Herrera -
Civil society groups tapped to build mass base in poor areas.
Lawmakers on Wednesday said a P10-billion budget allocation for 609 of the
poorest municipalities in collaboration with selected civil society groups would
be used to build a mass base for President Benigno Aquino III's Liberal Party
for the 2013 and 2016 elections and usher in "a new brand of political
patronage."
"Let's face it. The Liberals do not have a political mass base. The P10
billion budget comes in handy," said ACT Teachers Rep. Antonio Tinio, who
pointed out that the party's president, newly appointed Interior and Local
Government Secretary Manuel Roxas II, would be dealing directly with
municipalities who stood to gain P10 million each.
Under the 2013 proposed national budget, some P8.7 billion has been allocated
for the 609 poorest municipalities identified by the National Anti-Poverty
Commission now headed by former Akbayan president Jose Eliseo Rocamora.
Another P2 billion was allocated under President Aquino's Special Purpose
Fund for what the Palace describes as an "empowerment fund."
House Deputy Speaker Jesus Crispin Remulla, Agham Rep. Angelo Palmones,
Kabataan Rep. Raymond Palatino, and Tinio said the timing was suspect because
the money would be released to the local government units during election time.

"President Aquino and the Liberal Party are promoting a new brand of
political patronage by tapping the civil society networks that are very close to
the Palace, such as the Social Democrats, Code-NGO and Akbayan," Tinio said.

Makabayan, a militant umbrella organization to which ACT Teachers and
Kabataan party-list groups are affiliated, were not tapped in the budgeting
process.
Palatino said the participation of Code-NGO was not surprising, but the
group's integrity had taken a hit after it was shown to have earned P1.4 billion
from the government's sale of P10 billion in Peace Bonds.
Remulla said it was anomalous for the government to grant public funds to
civil society organizations and finance their agenda-setting budget processing.

"This puts to question the absorptive capacity of government. So why
duplicate the job of barangay officials who would consult with those in the
grassroots?" Remulla said.
"The civil society groups are better funded by the private sector, not by
public funds."
Budget Secretary Florencio Abad and Rocamora said the "bottom-up budgeting"
would empower the poorest municipalities and promote transparency and
accountability in their respective budgets.
"Some 609 municipalities have been targeted in the regions with either the
most number of poor families or where the poverty incidence is highest,"
Rocamora said.
The objective, Rocamora said, was to invite the various agencies and
departments to provide services in these poor communities by incorporating their
priority projects into their budget proposals for 2013.
Rocamora said that as of Wednesday, some 597 municipalities were
participating in the exercise to "refine" their development plans.
Akbayan Rep. Walden Bello, an administration ally, denied his group's
networks were made the recipients of the bottom-up funds even if Rocamora was
once Akbayan president.
But Remulla said Abad and Rocamora would be grilled during the budget
deliberations.
Palatino said President Aquino and the Liberals were using the civil society
organization's participation in the budget process to make it appear that the
budget was "transparent."
"In the guise of transparency and accountability, the government is spending
P10 billion just so their allies would make it appear that the government is
helping them through training, seminars and consultations," Palatino said.
But Rocamora said the bottom-up budgeting was aimed at helping the
municipalities identify the problems in the community and source the funds to
empower the grassroots from the various government agencies.
Opposition lawmakers meanwhile attacked the President's Special Purpose Fund
of P317.58 billion and demanded that Abad itemize the expenditures under the
that fund.
Minority Leader Danilo Suarez said Abad and the rest of the President's
economic team would be questioned about hidden allocations in the national
budget.
Zambales Rep. Milagros Magsaysay added that putting the pork barrel
allocations of the congressmen under the full control of the President was aimed
at silencing the political opposition.
Earlier, former national treasurer and Social Watch Philippines convenor
Leonor Briones described the P317 billion Special Purpose Fund as "one big pork
barrel that can be used for election purposes."
Magsaysay said the President's budgetary moves set the stage for his full
control of the legislature, which would no longer have power of the purse.
"What will happen is we will have a rubber stamp Congress, with the
legislative branch of government surrendering its autonomy to the executive
branch," she said. With Maricel Cruz





Chief News Editor: Sol Jose Vanzi
© Copyright, 2012 by PHILIPPINE HEADLINE NEWS ONLINE
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