00:00Tinalakay na ng Korte Suprema ang mga petisyon na kumukwestyon sa legalidad ng Unprogrammed Appropriations sa 2024, 2025 at 2026
00:09National Budget.
00:10Bagamat gawain rin naman daw ng ibang administrasyon ang paglalagay ng Unprogrammed Appropriations,
00:16sabi ng isang dating Budget Secretary,
00:18lubhang napakalaki raw ng mga Unprogrammed Appropriations sa nakalipas na tatlong taon.
00:24Ang git ng Solicitor General, hindi ito unconstitutional.
00:28Nakatotok si Sandra Aguinaldo.
00:33Sa oral arguments na isinagawa ng Korte Suprema ngayong araw, ilang isyo ang nais masagot.
00:39Labag ba sa saligang batas ang Unprogrammed Appropriations sa National Budget ng 2024, 2025 at 2026?
00:48Nagmalabis ba sa kapagyarihan ng Kongreso at ang Malacanang kaugnay sa Unprogrammed Fund?
00:54Illegal ba ang pagloba ng Special Road Fund at Department of Public Works and Highways?
00:59Ilan ito sa tinukoy ng apat na consolidated case na magkakahiwalay na isinampa na kumukwestyon sa Unprogrammed Appropriations sa National
01:07Budget.
01:08Apat na amicus curé o friends of the court ang humarap sa mga maestrado.
01:13Ayon kay former Finance at Budget Secretary Benjamin Diokno, 1987 pa may Unprogrammed Appropriations o Standby Fund sa National Budget
01:22pero sa ilalim ng kasalukuyang administrasyon, lumobo ang halaga nito.
01:27From 2005 to 2026, Congress approved on program appropriations exceeding those proposed by the President only five times.
01:41In 2010 under President Arroyo, in 2022 under President Duterte, and from 2023 to 2025 under President Marcos Jr.
01:56The increases over the last three years, however, have been particularly large.
02:03Ganito rin ang obserbasyon ni dating NEDA Director General, Sulita Monsot.
02:08Sabay-sabing ang Unprogrammed Appropriations, isa sa nagiging bagong anyo ng pork barrel.
02:14The new pork barrel system versus the PIDAF, well, the new pork barrel system obviously is obscenely larger in scale.
02:23The Unprogrammed Appropriations was chosen as the place to hide the lump sum appropriations.
02:30In 2022, they started growing, and if you'll see that high point there, that's where Unprogrammed Appropriations started.
02:42Wow.
02:44They went up to 800 billion pesos, which is more than the Budget Department Appropriations.
02:57Sabi naman ni former Senate President Franklin Drilon, hindi unconstitutional ang Unprogrammed Appropriations,
03:04pero dapat mapupondohan lamang ito kung merong sobrang revenue ang gobyerno.
03:09Kung hindi...
03:10It also loses its character as a special appropriation, and instead operates as a disguised general appropriations
03:20that may serve to expand the footprint of the original budget submitted by the President.
03:28In this perfect storm, Your Honors, the violation is not found in the text of the law,
03:36but in the arithmetic of its execution.
03:39Si Solicitor General Darlene Berberabe ang kumatawaan sa Malacanang at sa Kongreso.
03:45Sabi niya mahalaga ang Unprogrammed Appropriations at hindi ito unconstitutional.
03:50Unprogrammed Appropriations give the government fiscal flexibility.
03:55They ensure that a windfall does not go undeployed while public needs go unmet.
04:02More importantly, the constitutionality of Unprogrammed Appropriations has already been ruled upon by the Honorable Court.
04:09Nagpaalala din si Berberabe sa separation of powers ng magkakapantay na sangay ng gobyerno
04:15sa gitna ng judicial review na hinihiling ng petitioners sa Supreme Court.
04:20Respect for the separation of powers demands the utmost wisdom of this Honorable Court.
04:27The invalidation of an entire legislative mechanism should not be done
04:33unless the petitioners have shown a clear and irreconcilable conflict with the Constitution.
04:42Ipagpapatuloy ang oral arguments sa April 21.
04:46Sandra Aguinaldo Nakatuto, 24 Horas.
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