HOUSE appropriations committee chairman Rep. Zaldy Co today (09 January 2024) lashed at Albay Congressman Edcel Lagman for falsely claiming that an additional P12-billion budget of the Commission on Elections (Comelec) ‘for the conduct and supervision of elections’ will be used to finance charter change.
In a statement, Co said the P12 billion added to Comelec’s P2-billion budget was made upon the request of the poll body whose proposed P19.4-billion budget in the 2024 National Expenditure Program (NEP) was slashed by P17.4-billion by the Department of Budget and Management before submission to Congress.
“Comelec Chairman George Garcia personally appealed during the budget hearing in Congress to restore their budget. Congressman [Joseph Steven] Caraps Paduano, who presided over that meeting, attests that such request was approved by the committee and reflected in the minutes. Was Congressman Lagman sleeping on the job that he missed it?,” Co asked.
The appropriations committee chair added that only P14-billion and not the entire P19.4-billion originally requested [by Comelec] was approved. The balance of P5.4-billion was included in the unprogrammed funds for future funding, he said.
“Laking pasasalamat pa nga ng Comelec and Chairman George Garcia to the Bicam team for accommodating their request. Maski sila pa ang tanungin nyo,” Co stressed.
He said Lagman maliciously makes it appear that the Bicam whimsically added P12-billion to Comelec’s budget to finance Charter Change. “This is another one of his [Lagman’s] wild and irresponsible accusations,” he stressed.
Co dared Lagman to show and prove how Comelec’s P14-billion – or even part of it – would be used to push or finance proposed amendments to the 1987 Constitution. “This is Comelec’s budget. No other agency, not even Congress, can touch or release even one centavo of it. Is Congressman Lagman saying that Comelec commissioners would use those funds for charter change? If he can’t prove it, then he better shut up,” he stressed.
Co said that in the regular course of business, Comelec receives annual appropriations for its operations and to supervise the conduct of elections, or special referendums like the recent defeated cityhood proposal of San Jose del Monte. Congressmen who passed away or removed from office also need to be replaced, hence the need for special election funds.
“Districts who lose representation for one reason or another deserve to have special elections where they can choose their leaders. That’s the purpose of the budget for the “Conduct and supervision of elections, referenda, recall votes and plebiscites,” he added.
