Errors in farm-to-market road coordinates were not House amendments — DA official
The Department of Agriculture’s main building in Quezon City. Mark Demayo, ABS-CBN News MANILA — The errors in the coordinates of eight farm-to-market road projects in the proposed 2027 national budget were not put in by the House of Representatives, an official of the Department of Agriculture said.
Agriculture Assistant Secretary U-Nichols Manalo said the errors were already in the 2027 National Expenditure Program submitted to the lower chamber.
Manalo issued the explanation on Wednesday before the House Committee on Agriculture and Food, after budget watchdog People’s Budget Coalition flagged a number of farm-to-market road projects for having coordinates in the sea.
Manalo also noted that only eight of a total of 1,669 farm-to-market road projects had coordinate errors.
Camarines Sur 4th District Rep. Arnie Fuentebella, vice chairperson of the House Committee on Appropriation, said the coordinate errors may still be corrected before the proposed 2027 national budget is enacted.
He also said the errors involved a “very small percentage” of projects.
“Kindly correct it, and we appreciate na ‘yung inyong pong pagtanggap ng inyo pong kamalian (that you acknowledged your error)… it’s not a perfect system, no?”
Fuentebella stressed farm-to-market road projects are important since they can help farmers earn more for their produce by lowering transportation cost.