Pulong Duterte Denies Congressional District Budget for Davao City Amid Funding Dispute

Davao City Representative Paolo “Pulong” Duterte on Saturday reiterated his claim that his hometown did not receive any congressional district budget allocation. This comes after a Palace Press Officer stated that Davao City had received P52.80 billion in National Tax Allotment (NTA). Duterte clarified that the NTA is an automatic appropriation for local government units (LGUs), a fact he believes is widely known. However, he stressed that his concern pertains specifically to budget allocations for congressional districts, differentiating it from the general NTA. The Palace Press Officer had cited the P52.80 billion NTA in response to Duterte’s earlier allegation that Davao City had received no government funding. Duterte’s assertion now centers on the absence of district-specific funds. In light of the dispute, Duterte suggested that the Department of Budget and Management (DBM) should present the records. The Palace Press Officer, in turn, advised the media to directly inquire with Duterte about his “proposed projects and their feasibility studies” to ascertain whether the alleged denial of congressional allocation was justified. GMA News has reached out to the DBM for comment and will provide updates once a response is received. This situation highlights potential questions regarding the transparency of fiscal allocations to local governments and the basis of congressional claims. Information Source: GMA News Philippines