Huge P17.6-billion DA budget raises old corruption fears By Gerry Baldo 09/22/2010

Huge P17.6-billion DA budget raises old corruption fears
By Gerry Baldo
09/22/2010

Legislators yesterday questioned the unusually huge budget of the Department of Agriculture (DA) even as Anakpawis Rep. Rafael Mariano said the agency’s budget proposal was not clear on where the whopping P17.6 billion allocation would be spent.

During the Arroyo admi-nistration, diversion of funds from DA projects was suspected as the usual sources

of political seed money.

“This lump sum allocation is vulnerable to corruption,” Mariano said.

Mariano demanded that Agriculture Secretary Proceso Alcala explain how he intends to use the funds allotted to the DA which included the P5.2 billion funding for the nationwide implementation of the National Rice Program, which, according to the lawmaker, is actually a continuation of the irregularity-laden Gintong Masaganang Ani (GMA) rice program under the Arroyo administration.

The lawmaker listed down a breakdown of the P17 billion lump sum fund under DA consisting of P50 million for the Young Farmers Program; P170 million for the payment of right of way; P1.8 billion for the repair of irrigations nationwide; P500 million for the Balikatan Sagip-Patubig; P250 million for the feasibility study and detailed engineering of various projects nationwide; P100 million for the so-called 4H club; P 5.2 billion for the National Rice Program (nationwide); P 483.6 million for the National Corn Program (nationwide); P2.5 billion for the repair, rehabilitation and construction of farm to market roads in key production areas; P926.8 million for high value commercial crops; P682 million for the National Livestock Program and P5 billion for Public-Private Partnership (PPP) projects..... MORE

Source:  The Daily Tribune

URL: http://www.tribuneonline.org/headlines/20100922hed6.html