EDITORIAL – Bonanza and right connect

THINGS are looking up for Davao City with huge budgets set aside from various sources.
Aside from the executive annual budget of P4.5-billion  submitted by Mayor Sara Duterte-Carpio which  the Sangguniang Panlungsod approved, the city’s three congressional districts will get a P1.6 million allocation for infrastructure funds as share from the country’s General Appropriations Act. As Edge Davao reported yesterday, the 3rd district under Rep. Isidro T. Ungab will get the bulk, a whopping P742.7 million, or 46.21 percent, 32.83 percent (P527.7 million) goes to the 2nd district of Rep. Mylene Garcia and 20.94 percent (P336.6 million) to the 1st district represented by Rep. Karlo Nograles.
That Sid’s district got the biggest bonanza is explained by the fact that he was once the vice chairman of the House appropriations committee, and now chairman of the powerful ways and means committee. Ungab had to work double time, too, because his predecessor belonged to the opposition and failed to get allotment needed by his district. That he is a University of the Philippines graduate, an outstanding member of the UP Vanguard  and had worked with the Asian Development Bank for years.
On top of the congressional allocations which they identified, the three House members will still have additional projects to be funded by certain departments which would have surpluses or unused allocations the three lawmakers can lobby for with department secretaries.
In this case, Ungab will have an advantage over ordinary House members. As vice chairman of the appropriations committee, some department heads must have owed Sid certain favors they would only be glad to “pay back” in terms of surplus funds for some of his pet projects.
On the other hand, Rep. Mylene had worked with some of the Cabinet departments as assistant secretary, aside from being the chief of staff of her father, former Rep. Manuel “Nonoy” Garcia, and younger brother, former Rep. Vincent Garcia. These “connections” will be very useful when she lobbies for more allocations to fund additional projects. Part of Mylene’s right connect would be the friendship and relationship she had cultivated as law graduate of the Ateneo de Manila University and bar topnotcher.  Rep. Karlo Nograles, as son of a former House speaker, also has “connections” that would go a long way in seeking additional funding for his projects.
On the other hand, the city government can still pass supplemental budgets for other projects not covered by the main appropriation.
Indeed, this is akin to good fortune for the city. It is no longer wishful thinking to aspire that projects that could not be started in the past for lack of funds, can now be implemented and completed.