In the wake of controversies brought by the Priority Development Assistance Fund (PDAF) and the Disbursement Acceleration Program (DAP), expect the 2015 national budget to undergo tight scrutiny in the Senate down to its last centavo.
“We must be vigilant and careful in scrutinizing next year’s budget to ensure every centavo of public’s money will go to its intended use and not in somebody’s pocket,” said Senator Bam Aquino, chairman of the Senate Committee of Trade, Commerce and Entrepreneurship.
“Controversies have taught us to put our budget under the microscope to avoid a repeat of issues such as PDAF and DAP. We also must be on guard against illegal insertions by crooked individuals who may try to pull a fast one,” the senator added.
Last year, Aquino actively participated in budget hearings and even presided over deliberations for agencies such as the Department of Interior and Local Government (DILG) and the Department of Environment and Natural Resources.
Earlier, Malacañang said it would submit a proposed P2.606 trillion budget for 2015 to Congress. The amount was 15 percent higher than the 2014 national budget.
(PRIB Photo by Joseph Vidal)
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