MANILA, Philippines – “An imperfect peace is still less costly than a just war.”
With this statement, Senate President Pro Tempore Ralph Recto urged the government to raise the budget of the Autonomous Region in Muslim Mindanao (ARMM) ahead of the creation of the Bangsamoro political entity that will replace it.
On the eve of the signing of the Comprehensive Agreement on the Bangsamoro, Recto said ARMM’s initial 2015 budget of P20.4 billion should be increased to help ensure the success of the peace process aimed at ending 4 decades of armed conflict in central Mindanao.
“We don’t know what will happen to the ARMM regional government. It can be replaced by another entity. If next year is [the] ARMM government’s last hurrah, then the best goodbye gift we can give it is a bigger budget which in turn benefits the successor government because it will be using a higher base in asking for subsequent funds,” Recto said in a statement on Wednesday, March 26.
Based on the roadmap to the Bangsamoro, the ARMM will be deemed abolished after the Bangsamoro Basic Law is enacted, a plebiscite is held, and the Bangsamoro Transition Authority is created. By 2016, elected leaders will form the new Bangsamoro government.
The Philippine government and the Moro Islamic Liberation Front (MILF) will formally sign the comprehensive agreement representing the final peace accord in a historic ceremony in Malacañang on Thursday.
To prepare for the implementation of this agreement, a bigger budget is needed, Recto said, because the proposed 4.2% increase in the ARMM’s 2015 budget is “measly” to foster social and economic development. He said the amount “in real terms is still negative growth.”
“This is because, if you add the population growth rate and the inflation rate, the sum is bigger than the 4.2% hike in the budget,” said Recto, a former socio-economic planning secretary.
He added that the ARMM’s P19.6 billion budget for this year represents just less than 1% of the national budget. Recto compared the figure to the deleted pork barrel funds or the Priority Development Assistance Fund (PDAF) in the 2014 budget worth P25.2 billion.
“In fact if the PDAF hadn’t been abolished, it would have gotten a bigger slice in the budget pie than the ARMM government,” Recto said.
‘Minimum of P50M for Bangsamoro’
Recto said that a minimum of P50 billion is needed to fund the Bangsamoro region.
Citing the Bangsamoro agreement, Recto said that the Bangsamoro government will receive an annual “block grant” from the government that “shall in no case be less than the last budget received by the ARMM.”
In computing this, Recto said it is not just the ARMM budget that is factored in but also other types of funds spent in the region like the P15.7 billion Internal Revenue Allotment for the 5 provinces, 3 cities, 116 towns, and 2,490 barangays; the “Bottom Up Budgeting” allocation of P4.6 billion; and other “regionalized” spending of the national government.”
“In all, the amount would be in the neighborhood of P44 billion to P50 billion. If you want to pin a price tag then that would be the minimum,” Recto said.
The senator said he hoped the amount will eventually be reduced as the Bangsamoro government becomes financially self-reliant “because fiscal independence is the hallmark of autonomy.”
Senators to witness signing
Lawmakers will witness the signing of the comprehensive agreement, being key stakeholders in the passage of the Bangsamoro Basic Law creating the new entity. The bill is expected to be submitted to Congress in May, and President Benigno Aquino III will certify it urgent.
Among those who will attend the ceremony are Senate President Franklin Drilon, Senate peace committee chairman Teofisto “TG” Guingona III (who is from Bukidnon), Senator Aquilino “Koko” Pimentel III (who is from Cagayan de Oro), and Senator Paolo Benigno “Bam” Aquino IV.
Drilon committed to prioritize the bill and ensure its passage this year. Ahead of the signing, the Senate chief hailed the comprehensive agreement as a crucial deal for peace in the Association of Southeast Asian Nations (ASEAN).
“The success we have made are not limited within our nation, as the Bangsamoro plays an ever-crucial role in ASEAN regional security. The Bangsamoro shall be a beacon of cooperation and tolerance among the major Muslim constituencies in Southeast Asia, where it will be an example of what can be achieved when we shun extremism and violence in its every form,” Drilon said on Monday.
Other senators though said they will scrutinize the measure first. Senator Miriam Defensor Santiago said the annexes on wealth and power sharing must pass constitutional muster.
Senate Minority Leader Juan Ponce Enrile said that there are “so many ifs” in the agreement, which could raise constitutional questions. – Rappler.com
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