The chairperson of the House of Representatives committee on appropriations has denied claims made by Agrarian Reform Secretary Rafael Mariano that the lawmaker is anti-poor for insisting on rechanneling unused public funds to finance the implementation of the Universal Access to Quality Tertiary Education Act.
“I am not pitting the poor against the poor. I am maximizing the use of funds to benefit as many Filipinos as we can. The free tuition law is for all, and the measure is pro-poor, pro-farmer. In fact, kung susuriin n’yo po, ito rin ay pro-construction worker, pro-tricycle driver, pro-vendor at iba pa,” Davao City Rep. Karlo Nograles, the chairperson, said.
Nograles said that instead of throwing tantrums over the possibility that DAR would suffer budget cuts because of its low absorptive capacity, Mariano should “walk the talk” and help the government in ensuring the success of the free college education program.
Nograles also advised Mariano to work harder to ensure all the funds allocated to his department are put to good use.
According to the National Expenditure Program submitted by the Department of Budget and Management to Congress, the unused appropriations of DAR in 2016 was P6.3 billion and P3.5 billion in 2017.
As chairman of the appropriations panel, Nograles said he is mandated to make sure that all government funds are allocated where they count most.
“If there are unused funds or underperforming agencies, the appropriations panel is mandated to look into this, so that funds will be used where it can maximize impact on our people,” Nograles said.
In 2016, a total of P2.8 billion in funds from DAR were reverted to the National Treasury as this represented funds which were unobligated and unused from their 2015 budget allotment.
Nograles noted that with only P16 billion raised so far to finance the free college education law, the entire government bureaucracy needs to pitch in to ensure its full implementation next year.
By DBM’s estimate, the government would need at least P50 billion per year to bankroll the free college education program in State Universities and Colleges (SUCs), Local Universities and Colleges (LUCs) and Technical Vocational Institutes (TVIs).
“The Free Higher Education Law is an investment for our future so I would like to encourage all Heads of Government from secretaries down to the whole bureaucracy, if you have funds that cannot and will not be utilized, please let the Committee on Awppropriations know. The success of this law depends on how the whole government and the whole nation can work together. Magbayanihan po tayo,” Nograles said.