PUPILS CROSS RIVER DAILY ON CABLE WIRE: Where's your hearts, President, congressmen, senators, secretaries?

PUPILS CROSS RIVER 

DAILY ON CABLE WIRE

Where's your hearts, President, 

congressmen, senators, secretaries?

Pupil crosses river on a cable wire in coming to school in Brgy Madlum (Inquirer photo)

Of late, the country has heard so much about money pocketed in billions of pesos by means of faking papers to show that the money was given to the beneficiaries who were supposed to be those not reached by the regular programs of the government.

In fact, it appears that more than P10 billion has gone to the pockets of the facilitator like Janet Lim-Napoles and collaborators-lawmakers who agreed to steal their pork barrel funds, money seeded by law to be spent for purposes to be chosen yet by the congressmen and senators.


The country witnessed how the gang of Janet Lim-Napoles and others of her type would manufacture names and signatures to prove that the money or tools or implements or goods were given to those intended.  The truth, it turned out, is that the funds did not go to these listed beneficiaries but to the pockets of Napoles and partners-lawmakers.

Then the people saw that P50 million was given by the Department of Budget Management (DBM) through the approval of President P-Noy to each of the senators who voted for the conviction of ex-Chief Justice Renato C. Coronalion, except Senator Ping Lacson.

Then the people saw that P15 million was given to each of the congressmen who signed the Articles of Impeachment against Corona.



Budget Secretary Butch Abad said these monies were given after the impeachment trial so that these were a sort of "prizes" for cooperating in the grand design to remove Corona.

Both the P50 million and the P15 million came from the funds called by Abad as "DAP" (Disbursement Acceleration Program) funds.  He defined it as funds saved from the budgets for all the agencies under the Office of the President.

It was also insinuated that like funds were given to congressmen and senators who supported the RH law.

It turned out, however, that these funds were called "savings" even before the budget year was to end.  

In the arguments of Rep. Neri Colmenares and other senators, funds can be legally considered as "savings" only after the budget year ends and NOT BEFORE the budget year ends.  

Indeed, no one can know whether the money budgeted for particular purpose would be enough or would be in excess until the purpose is completed.

Now, Colmenares labeled that "savings" as unconstitutional because the funds were declared as savings even before the budget year ends.  Only when the year ends that it can be known whether the allocated funds would be enough or in excess.

It shows, therefore, that the President has much more in discretionary funds than all the lawmakers combined.  He can spend all this at his own wish.  

In fact, he gave P50 million each to the 20 senators, including Senator Joker Arroyo who despite the P47 million he got voted for the acquittal of Corona.

A new piece of information surfaced lately that another P500 million was given by the Office of the President to the senators on top of those earlier given.  This has to be confirmed yet, like the others stated above.

In short, it is seen that the "savings" of one independent department of the Executive were used to be given to the officials of another independent department, the Legislative.  This is unconstitutional at first look, not only because it is not expressly allowed in the Constitution.  By the Constitutional law, what is not stated does not mean it is allowed.  It is because power cannot be presumed.

Nevertheless, allowing one department to give its funds to another department will destroy the principle of separation of powers, destroy the principle of independence of each body, and destroy the principle of check-and-balances.  Allowing this will result instead of interdependence of each body to each other, giving birth to the culture of conspiracy. 

But look at the pupils of Barangay Madlum in San Miguel, Bulacan who go to school everyday by crossing the cable wire bridge by doing the balancing act with hands holding on to the upper cable wire.  See the photo above.

Have our President, senators, congressman and Butch Abad seen these pupils?