Senator Sherwin Gatchalian has pushed for the removal of lump sum items from the National Irrigation Authority’s (NIA) proposed budget for next year’s irrigation projects.
“Isa pang pananggalang na ipinatupad natin sa budgeting process ay ang pagtanggal ng lump sums. Para hindi na mangyari uli ‘yung ghost projects, ang layunin ay magtatag ng line items at tiyakin na malinaw na matukoy ang eksaktong coordinates at ang tiyak na haba ng mga irrigation project,” Gatchalian said while discussing the NIA budget on the Senate plenary.
“Masusundan na ng ating mga kababayan kung meron at anong irrigation projects ang itinatayo sa kanilang mga lugar,” he added.
Gatchalian, chairperson of the Senate Committee on Finance, had previously criticized the lump sum and non-detailed line items in NIA’s budget.
These lump sums include ₱10 billion for national irrigation systems, ₱5 billion for communal irrigation systems, ₱630 million for other irrigation systems subprograms, ₱851 million for extension and expansion of existing irrigation systems, ₱4 billion for establishment of pump irrigation subprogram, and ₱2 billion for special irrigation subprograms.
According to Gatchalian, the total of these lump sums amounts to ₱26 billion.