Vengeance plus caprice equal zero allocations for authentic opposition Representatives and other targeted legislators in the House of Representatives.

Steadfast critical dissent and perceived “waywardness” have left the respective constituencies of two-dozen solons destitute of infrastructure projects under the 2018 General Appropriations Act.

Zero allocations are projected to punish and silence opposition legislators even as it is their constituencies who are deprived of the benefits of infrastructure development.

“Why punish citizens and communities for the earnest and valiant efforts of their Representatives to maintain responsible dissent as the bedrock of democracy?” asked Rep. Edcel C. Lagman, the leader of the Magnificent 7 opposition group, whose members, among others, suffered zero allocations.

The great majority of the deleted appropriations are not for so-called “pet projects” but are for essential infrastructures intended for congressional districts in the 2018 National Infrastructure Program of the Department of Public Works and Highways (DPWH) under the “Build, Build, Build” scheme.

These were not even requested by the affected Representatives and were included upon submission by DPWH in the President’s National Expenditure Program (NEP) on which the annual General Appropriations Bill (GAB) is entirely based.

The discarded projects were in the GAB which was approved on third reading by the House of Representatives but were surreptitiously deleted during the bicameral conference on the national budget reportedly upon instructions of Speaker Pantaleon Alvarez.

When asked about the scrapped funding, Rep. Karlo Nograles, appropriations chairman and head of the House bicameral panel, replied: “ask Speaker Alvarez”.

What would be adversely affected are the construction of roads and bridges; highways leading to tourism destinations; diversion roads to decongest traffic; flood protection like dikes and seawalls; and public buildings.

What is worse is that highways and bridges for completion in 2018 would be left hanging and unfinished.

Moreover, majority of the deleted infrastructure projects have already been bid out pursuant to government’s advance bidding schedule pending approval of the General Appropriations Act (GAA).

EDCEL C. LAGMAN