The scrapping of infrastructure projects to zero in the districts and constituencies of dissenting solons was nonchalantly dismissed by Speaker Pantaelon Alvarez as a result of the vagaries of “life”.
This cavalier response of Speaker Alvarez is an admission that he was the mastermind of the blatant last-minute highjacking of previous allocations in the General Appropriations Bill (GAB), which was approved on third reading by the House of Representatives.
This also reveals a discriminatory and flawed perception of life wherein partisan allies are vastly rewarded and opposition Representatives are utterly deprived, irrespective of the compelling needs of their respective districts.
The Speaker’s mantra on life is vengeful and capricious as it disrespects responsible dissent and punishes those who espouse differing views.
Minority positions are not appreciated and accommodated in the Speaker’s concept of life which seeks to impose servile unanimity.
The Speaker's claim that I proposed "P3.8-B worth of projects" is utterly preposterous. How could an opposition Representative propose and be accorded this amount of projects?
The leadership of the House and Appropriations Committee advised me to submit, probably like most other Representatives, P50-M and later an additional P20-M for hard infrastructure projects for my district to be included in the 2018 Genereal Approrpiations Act (GAA).
These are legitimate priority projects which are not in the nature of “pork barrel” as defined by the Supreme Court.
It was the Department of Public Works and Highways (DPWH) under the Duterte Administration's "Build, Build and Build" policy which proposed and caused to be included in the President's National Expenditure Program (NEP) the bulk of other essential infrastructure projects intended for my district which subsequently formed part of the GAB.
What the DPWH proposed was not at my initiative or request.
The implementation of infrastructure projects in my district is completely aboveboard and the funds are fully accounted for by DPWH and the Commission of Audit (COA).
EDCEL C. LAGMAN