Osmeña got biggest share of projects worth P33.8M from Palace

Osmeña:”At least among the Cebuano legislators, I was the most resourceful. And I didn’t go to any fictitious NGO.”

The DAP may  be illegal, but it is not immoral, said former Cebu city congressman Tomas Osmeña yesterday.

He appealed to Cebuanos not to be angry with him for availing of the controversial Disbursement Acceleration Program (DAP) of President Aquino to sponsor  projects in the south district when he was still in Congress.

“Give me some consideration.  I was a neophyte congressman but I got millions worth of projects for the city,” said Osmeña.

A government online report listed Osmeña as a beneficiary of DAP in the amount of P38.8 million worth of projects from 2011.

The same list shows DAP releases approved by the Office of the President for Rep. Pablo Garcia  for P25 million (Cebu, 2nd district), Rep. Pablo John Garcia for P10 million (3rd district)  and Rachel “Cutie” del Mar for P10 milllion.

Osmeña yesterday  said he is now asking the Department of Budget and Management (DBM) to give him a breakdown of these projects since he can’t recall the details.

“I don’t handle the funds and I don’t receive the money. The Supreme Court says DAP is illegal, but to me it’s not immoral. There was just a shortcut by DBM,” said Osmeña.

Critics of the pork barrel system want to abolish the DAP, which they view as a discretionary fund of President Aquino that  should be scrapped like the Priority Development Assistance Fund (PDAF) of congressmen and senators.

Cebu City Mayor Michael Rama said Osmena should show a liquidation of how the amount was spent, as a matter of transparency and accountability.

The projects listed in the DBM website should also be checked by citizens to verify if they were actually carried out.

Rama said he could only hope that the DAP share of the former congressman was spent for Cebu City and not given to other areas like the P400 million alllocation for road improvements which Osmena had waived in favor of 1st district Rep. Eduardo Gullas for widening the south Cebu highway.

Defending the DAP, a budget scheme that impounded savings of various national government offices  for use of the President, Osmena said that since congressmen  were allowed to sponsor only  P70 million worth of projects in PDAF, he had to be resourceful in finding additional fund sources when he was in the House of Representatives from 2010 to 2013.

“That’s my job as congressman to get money wherever I could,” he told Cebu Daily News.

“At least among the Cebuano legislators, I was the most resourceful.  But one thing is for sure, I did not go to any fictition NGO,” he said.

Osmeña said Cebuanos should look at the silver lining, that he brought home funds  used in infrastructure projects that benefitted the city.

He said there may be errors in DAP for using a shortcut in using funds, but plowing savings or excess funds back in the general fund for next year’s General Appropriations Act would take time.

“Ug dili ‘ta mo-lobby, the ones who suffer are the probinsyanos because all the funding will go to Manila,” he added.

He said Budget Secretary Butch Abad was trying to be efficient in finding ways to allow the use of unspent funds.

“The Supreme Court says DAP is illegal but to me it’s not immoral.  There was just a shortcut by the DBM,” said Osmeña.

DAP was launched in 2011 as a stimulus program by the  DBM to prime a slowing economy.

In July, the Supreme Court declared certain practices under the DAP unconstitutional, including the declaration of savings before the end of the year, and its realignment for projects not included in the national budget (see box).

In the aftermath of the high tribunal’s decision, which is on appeal by the executive branch, the program has spawned anti-government protests and futile impeachment complaints against President Aquino.

Osmeña said he couldn’t be certain which of his projects were funded from the DAP because these were directly allocated to implementing agencies. He believes however, that the funds were  spent on road improvement projects which include the P12-million improvement of the Busay Road and the P10-million rehabilitation of the Pulang Bato Road, both are located at the city’s uplands.