MANILA - Albay 1st District Representative Edcel Lagman on Tuesday linked to the charter change initiative the P12-billion increase in the Commission on Election’s 2024 budget for the conduct and supervision of elections, referenda, recall votes and plebiscites.

"The charter change rampage has a surfeit of funds," Lagman said.

"Masyado malaki ang pondo kung ang popondohan lang ‘yung people’s initiative. ‘Yung PI, isa lang naman ang amendment na pino-propose, ‘yung pagpalit ng voting sa constituent assembly, gagawin na voting jointly ‘yung mga senador at representatives," he added.

"Palagay ko mayroong second phase itong amendment agenda, at ito ‘yung mga substantial amendment to the Constitution, for example liberalization of economic policies and possibly extension of term limits. Kaya malaki itong pondo na ito na nilaan," he added.

"So ang mangyayari dito, dalawang plebesito at another plebiscite tungkol doon sa mga proposed amendments na ipapasa dun sa constituent assembly," Lagman noted.

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Appropriations for the conduct and supervision of elections, referenda, recall votes and plebiscites last year was at P2.2 billion. Around the same amount was proposed for these activities under the 2024 National Expenditure Program.

But Lagman said the bicameral conference committee increased the funding to P14.2 billion.

“I think ang problema d’yan ay hindi idinaan sa tamang proseso sa Kongreso na pinag-usapan kung magkano talaga ang kailangan, sapagkat ito ay ginawa doon sa bicameral conference committee. Hindi ito na-discuss sa floor ng House. Hindi ito na-discuss sa plenary ng Senado at ito ay ginawa lang dun sa BCC (bicameral conference committe) na ‘yun ang tinatatawag na third house of the Congress,” he told the media.

House Committee on Appropriations Chairperson and AKO BICOL Party List Representative Elizaldy Co denied that the additional P12-billion budget for the conduct and supervision of elections and plebiscites this year will be used to finance charter change, calling Lagman’s statement “wild and irresponsible.”

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In a statement, Co explained that the funding augmentation was made upon the request of the poll body, which initially requested a P19.4-billion budget for the activities this 2024. This amount was slashed by P17.4-billion by the Department of Budget and Management in the 2024 NEP.

“COMELEC Chairman George Garcia personally appealed during the budget hearing in Congress to restore their budget. Congressman [Joseph Steven] Caraps Paduano, who presided over that meeting, attests that such request was approved by the committee and reflected in the minutes. Was Congressman Lagman sleeping on the job that he missed it?” Co said.

“Laking pasasalamat pa nga ng COMELEC and Chairman George Garcia to the Bicam team for accommodating their request,” he added.

In a separate statement, Garcia confirmed Co’s assertion.

“Paulit-ulit ko binabanggit during our budget hearing na sana maibalik ang P17.4B na tinanggal sa amin. Cong. Paduano moved to restore and the Committee hearing our budget approved the motion. We thank the bicam for restoring the said amount, although unfortunately hindi P17.4B,” the poll body chair said.

Co dared Lagman to prove how COMELEC’s P14-billion – or even part of it – would be used to push or finance proposed amendments to the 1987 Constitution.

He explained that in the regular course of business, COMELEC receives annual appropriations for its operations and to supervise the conduct of elections, or special referendums like the recent defeated cityhood proposal of San Jose del Monte.

Elected officials, who passed away or were removed from office also need to be replaced, which explains the need for special poll funds.

“This is COMELEC’s budget. No other agency, not even Congress, can touch or release even one centavo of it. Is Congressman Lagman saying that COMELEC commissioners would use those funds for charter change? If he can’t prove it, then he better shut up,” Co said.

“Rep. Elizaldy Co, Chairman of the House committee on appropriations and co-chair of the bicameral conference committee on the 2024 General Appropriations Bill (GAB), must stop calling me names and becoming personal but must stick to the facts and the truth that P12-B was inserted by the bicameral conference committee in the 2024 Comelec’s budget for “plebiscites”, among others, related to the charter change agenda,” Lagman replied.

“What Chairman Garcia requested to be restored was inadequately given back to the COMELEC and what was inserted was for the subject exorbitant augmentation, which he did not request. Chairman Co must be man enough to admit candidly this furtive and malevolent insertion. This P12-B insertion was not in response to the COMELEC’s request to restore its budget which was reduced in the submission of the National Expenditure Program (NEP). What was given to COMELEC was not requested by it in the form of additional appropriation for the charter change agenda,” he added.

“How could I be sleeping on the job when the insertion was made by the bicameral conference committee of which I was not appointed as a member after years of being a conferee as former chair of the appropriations committee?” Lagman noted.

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