DAPAT magpasalamat ang taumbayan kay Supreme Court Justice Amy Lazaro-Javier (JALJ) sa kanyang pagkuwestiyon sa paglilipat ng P90 bilyon ng PhilHealth, bukod sa iba pa, sa proyektong tulay na Panay-Guimaras-Negros (PGN) at sa peace process.
Ibinuking ni Justice Javier sa isinagawang oral argument ang nangyaring “hokus-pondo” o “milagro” sa pondo ng Philhealth para mailipat sa National Treasury gayong dapat ay ginamit ito sa programang pangkalusugan ng mga Pilipino.
Buking na pero pilit na idinedepensa ng Office of the Solicitor ang gobyerno sa nasabing milagro. Itinuturo ni Solicitor General Menardo Guevarra (SGMG) na ang lahat ng ito ay dahil sa “pakana” ng Kongreso na inarkitekto ni Finance Secretary Ralph Recto.
Ibig sabihin, sadyang magagaling ang marami sa ating mga kongresman sa pag-iisip kung paano “kukulimbat” ng salaping bayan.Basahin kung paano iginisa ni Justice Javier ang OSG sa nasabing argumento. Narito ang mga sipi:
JALJ: According to DOF, funds to be remitted to the Treasury will finance urgent national projects. Annex A of your compliance, Nov. 8, 2024, pages 1-4, OSG enumerated some of these projects: routine maintenance of national roads, PGN bridges and right-of-way payments. All are construction projects, Mr. Solicitor General, correct?
SGMG: Not all of them, Your Honor. Some pertain to health projects.
JALJ: No, I’m talking about routine maintenance of national roads, PGN bridges and right-of-way payments.
SGMG: In a sense they are routinary, ordinary expenses.
JALJ: They pertain to construction projects, correct?
SGMG: Infrastructure, yes.
JALJ: Per DBM’s Budget of Expenditures and Source of Financing FY 2024 report, PGN bridges are fully funded by Export-Import Bank of Korea, P174.49 billion-plus. Was there an urgency to transfer PhilHealth funds when the project is already fully funded?
SGMG: Your Honor, this is a matter really of delving into the wisdom of the legislature in allocating funds.
JALJ: Korea EXIM Bank already has loaned the Philippines P174.49 billion-plus. Was there urgency to transfer PhilHealth funds when the project was already fully funded?
SGMG: I think one consideration by Congress in doing so is a determination of when a project is already implementable. If a project that has been identified and sufficiently funded is considered non-implementable for the given fiscal year, then I think it is the decision of Congress in the exercise of its policy or wisdom, so to speak, to move it to unprogrammed appropriations in the meantime.
JALJ: Has the government moved this Korea EXIM bank loan to unprogrammed funds?
SGMG: We have to check whether that has been actually transferred or removed altogether, because there were certain removals made by Congress in the proposed infrastructure or other projects.
JALJ: How can the government have removed this when it is a loan specifically for that purpose?
SGMG: It is something that can be deferred, Your Honor, even if funded.
JALJ: What is the reason for deferring it?
SGMG: Your Honor, I cannot speculate on the reasons for the congressman.
JALJ: Has the government spent even a single cent from that loan, considering that the project has not even started?
SGMG: Well, there is nothing to spend if the project has not started.
JALJ: So where is the money?
SGMG: The money went presumably to the Treasury – for projects under Unprogrammed Appropriations.
JALJ: So, we have unused funds for the project, and yet we still got money from PhilHealth to supplement this fund that has been unused for years?
Sabog ang mga hinayupak sa PhilHealth, DoF, Kongreso at malamang pati ang kanilang Poon!
