By Ruth Abbey Gita-Carlos
MANILA – Malacañang on Tuesday attributed budget delays encountered by Sen. Imee Marcos to possible congressional insertions.
This, after Marcos raised concerns over her budget request being marked as FLR (For Later Release), even calling it as “First Lady Reject.”
In a press briefing, Palace Press Officer Claire Castro called on the public officials to refrain from making baseless insinuations without evidence, noting that these can undermine the government’s work.
“Unang-una po, kung sinasabi niyang siya’y nagre-request, inaamin po ba niyang may insertion na siya ngayo’y gusto niyang ipa-release? So, iyan po ang ating unang katanungan (First, if Sen. Imee admits to requesting the budget, does that mean there are insertions she now wants released? That is our first question),” Castro said.
Castro said President Ferdinand R. Marcos Jr. has ordered strict oversight of the budget, following the discovery that some congressional insertions have reached as high as PHP797 billion.
She said the congressional insertions have been classified for “conditional implementation” to prevent the release of funds without complete and proper documentation.
Citing the Department of Budget and Management’s (DBM) statement, Castro noted that specifically appropriated items included in the National Expenditure Program (NEP) are subject to a “comprehensive release.”
In the context of the DBM, “comprehensive release” means that funds allocated through the National Expenditure Program (NEP) are released in a complete, consolidated manner rather than in parts to ensure that all appropriations for a particular program or project are disbursed together, following proper documentation, thorough evaluation, and certification.
Castro said the implementing agency is required to submit a request for budget release, accompanied by proper documentation.
She added that the Bureau of the Treasury must certify the availability of actual excess revenues.
“So, kapag ito po naman ay napakita at kumpleto, hindi naman po ito hahadlangan, lalung lalo na kung ito ay proyekto para sa publiko (If all requirements are met and the project benefits the public, the release will not be hindered),” Castro said. (PNA)
