By
Marlon Balmadrid
QUEZON
CITY – Rep. Erico Aumentado (Bohol, 2nd District) has asserted that
the power of appropriation belongs to the domain of the Congress of the Philippines
citing the constitutional provision that “no money shall be paid out of the
Treasury except in pursuance of an appropriation made by law.”
The solon made the assertion that the power of the purse is
one of the most important prerogative of the Congress as he pushed for the
appropriation of P600 billion under his House Bill No.6469 entitled “ Public
Works Flood Control Act of 2012.”
The power of appropriation, Aumentado said, originates from
the House of Representatives. He said the Constitution provides that “All
appropriation, revenue or tariff bills, bills authorizing increase of the
public debt, bills of local application, and private bills, shall originate
exclusively in the House of Representatives, but the Senate may propose or
concur with amendments.”
The bill seeks to authorize and appropriate funds for the
Department of Public Works and Highways to craft and implement a master plan
for the flood control of the entire country with emphasis on and prioritization
of Metro Manila, Central Luzon and the CALABARZON areas, which were hardest hit
by the recent floods brought about by the monsoon rains.
The lawmaker said the country becomes vulnerable to massive
flooding during typhoons, monsoon rains and occurrence of low pressure areas.
He added that these floods have caused tremendous losses of lives and
properties wasting billions of pesos worth of destruction and economic loses.
In tune with the reformist governance of Pres. Aquino and
his political will to pursue a master plan against the devastating floods in
the country, Aumentado said now is the opportune time for the Congress to enact
a public works flood control law which will be implemented on a multi-year
basis up to the year 2040.
To note, DPWH intends to develop a safe society resilient to
floods as the Aquino government’s response to the massive destruction wrought
by the floods whipped by typhoons Ondoy and Pepeng, and just recently, by the habagat
monsoon rains with a wide swath of destruction in Metro Manila, Central Luzon
and the CALABARZON area. The plan entails an outlay of P352 billion, the solon
noted.
In his explanatory note, Aumentado sad the country remembers
the tremendous loss of lives and properties in previous tragedies such as the
Ormoc flood, the Ginsaugon Southern Leyte flood and landslide, the Cagayan De
Oro and Iligan City floods as well as the CARAGA region floods and landslides.
Western and Central Visayas also suffered destruction of lives and properties
due to floods and landslides whipped up by typhoons and monsoon rains.
He said floods also occur in Northern Luzon, the Bicol
region, Visayas and Mindanao hence the need for DPWH to craft a long-term flood
control program for these regions.
He estimates that a nationwide flood control program would
cost P600 billion. The amount can be sourced from the national treasury
through a multi-year appropriation.
It can also be funded by official development assistance
(ODA) of donor countries such as Japan, Korea, the United States of America,
Australia, Great Britain, Canada, the European Union and even China.
He also cited lending institutions of concessional loans
such as the Japan International Cooperation Agency (JICA), the Korea Economic
Development Cooperation Fund – Eximbank, the World Bank, and the Asian
Development Bank, among others, can also be tapped for the purpose.
In closing, Aumentado said that the DPWH headed by visionary
and well respected Secretary Rogelio Singson is the appropriate agency to
implement this massive nationwide flood control program.
