Part of unprogrammed funds in this year’s national budget may finance the rebuilding of Marawi, a Muslim-majority city that was destroyed in last year’s fighting between government forces and Islamic State supporters. Undersecretary Adoracion Navarro of the National Economic and Development Authority (Neda) said the Duterte administration was looking into tapping the unprogrammed funds in the 2018 national budget for rebuilding efforts in Marawi. ADVERTISEMENTSen. Panfilo Lacson considers unprogrammed or lump-sum appropriation pork, which finance pet projects of lawmakers and generate kickbacks for them. Moving forward, the administration may have the option to tap other modes of financing, although it would stick to using the national budget to fund projects in Marawi in the meantime, Navarro said. The entire Marawi City would entail a larger financing requirement of P72.6 billion during the next five years.

Source: Philippine Daily Inquirer December 09, 2018 23:03 UTC