Cosalan: P50M public works fund for rural development

By Dexter A. See

TUBLAY, Benguet – The equal distribution of P50 million public works fund for each congressional district as contained in next year’s P1.64 trillion national budget is primarily intended to spur rural development and not for anything else as being pictured by the critics of the Aquino administration, an influential member of the powerful administration block in the House of Representatives said here last week.

Rep. Ronald M. Cosalan, chairman of the House committee on public works, said the amount for each congressional district had been itemized in the budget and will be utilized for rehabilitation, upgrading and improvement of national and secondary national roads within the areas of jurisdiction of the concerned district and for no other purpose.

According to him, the allocation and distribution of the controversial fund, which has been described as added pork for lawmakers, was done by the Department of Public Works and Highways based on length, need and condition of national and secondary national roads in the whole country.

But Cosalan admitted there were 44 congressional districts who were not able to meet the minimum P50 million fund for their national and secondary national roads because of their supposed shorter national roads but they were given the remaining balance to complete the amount to equalize the share of the congressional district from limited resources of the government.

He said utilization of the funds for each congressional district has already been specified in the budget, thus, congressmen have no authority to interfere on how the funds will be utilized since it is very clear in the new guidelines that the additional allocation for the districts will only be programmed for national roads and secondary national arterial roads no more, no less.

Considering that funds will be used for national roads in the different congressional districts, the chairman of the House committee on public works cited development will start pouring to the countryside due to better accessibility which is the direct benefit of improved road condition.

Better roads will translate to more employment opportunities for people in the countryside since investors will be flocking towards potential business centers.

Since the funds have been placed in the line item budget, Cosalan added it will be easy for the people to monitor where the said funds will be going which is in accordance to the policy of the Aquino administration whereby the implementation and bidding of projects must be done with transparency to abate rampant corruption.

Cosalan said taxpayer’s money will be returned to them in the form of development projects or enhanced delivery of basic services as announced by President Aquino during his inaugural address.