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Projects with SARO to get bidding priority — Palace

By Riza Recio

01/13/2009

The Palace said it has enough savings from last year’s budget to fund national projects, mostly on infrastructure, to meet its target bidding completion by July 15 this year but it said only projects with Special Allotment Release Order (SARO) will be submitted for bidding.

The national government projects were identified for pump-priming the economy this year, which is a year prior to the holding of national elections.

The Palace has the discretion in the granting of SAROs and critics of Mrs. Arroyo said such funding is usually diverted for political use primarily as election campaign funds.

In the most recent Cabinet meeting held in Iligan City, President Arroyo ordered that “all projects within the six-month period will be constructed especially on infrastructure.”

In a press conference yesterday, Presidential Deputy spokeswoman Lorelei Fajardo said with the national budget still pending in Congress for approval, the President has already given instructions that all projects within six-month period will be constructed especially on infrastructure. “We need this badly in preparation for the global economic slowdown,” she said.

Mrs. Arroyo also gave the instruction that projects would have to comply with the requirements on bidding before the Saro would be granted.

Mrs. Arroyo has been focused on the implementation of national projects that she had committed to pursue the much-needed projects despite the national budget still awaiting legislation in Congress, Fajardo noted, explaining that implementing these projects would lead to pump-priming the economy.

She also said that the national government has enough budget and that it has been continuing the implementation of projects for delivery identified since 2008.

The government has “plenty of savings” that will fund the various projects being monitored under the Department of Budget and Management reportorial on the absorptive capacity of various implementing agencies, Fajardo also said.