MANILA — Sen. Alan Peter Cayetano on Wednesday uncovered a supposed new “modus” allegedly targeting the 2023 budget for public works projects.

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During the Senate Finance committee’s hearing for the presentation of the Development Budget Coordination Committee (DBCC) on the proposed P5.3 trillion 2023 national budget, Cayetano claimed that certain districts hosting public works projects funded this year suffered heavy budget cuts under the National Expenditure Program (NEP).

These cuts, however, can still be “fixed,” Cayetano said.

“There is a group telling these districts na ibabalik namin ang pondo n'yo, pero contractor nila ang gagawa. So the parking scheme is back with a vengeance. And I do not know if [Public Works] Secretary [Manuel] Bonoan is in control of his department,” Cayetano said.

The senator called this scheme, “expanded parked funds,” coming from the 2018 “parked funds” bombshell of then Sen. Panfilo Lacson.

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Parked funds refer to already assigned public works project budget to favored lawmakers.

To press his point, Cayetano showed the allotted public works budget details of 10 unnamed districts for 2022, and their reduced budget for next year.

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Non-funding of these undertakings would result to incomplete and useless projects, the senator said.

At least three sources, he said, confirmed to him that they needed to really make the “appeal” for the reconsideration of their needed funds.

"That's what I meant, mayroong mga krimen at corruption na hindi isa lang mayroon, medyo conspiracy, pero meron talagang sinisindikato,” Cayetano said in a press conference after.

“May mga paboritong lugar (dito sa slashed budget). Isang common denominator ng mga paboritong lugar, yung mahirap puntahan ng media,” the senator added.

Cayetano’s claims were later echoed by Senate Majority Leader Joel Villanueva.

“This is not the first time that I have heard these stories... I heard this from the horse’s mouth that this is really happening in Central Luzon. Specifically, I will point out, the flood control program of the DPWH,” Villanueva said.

Cayetano said he will request Senate President Juan Miguel Zubiri to require Bonoan to submit to the chamber a complete list of DPWH projects per district and region, the kinds of projects allotted to these areas, and those that will not receive funding next year.

Senators meantime asked DBCC officials to look into Cayetano’s allegations.

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Bonoan told reporters he is now looking into Cayetano’s allegations and promised to shed light on the matter when he returns to the Senate for their budget deliberation.

Senate Finance committee chairman Sonny Angara assured the public that the chamber will scrutinize the proposed budget for each agency.

The finance panel will resume its DBCC discussion on Thursday.

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