DBM admits 'clerical error' in P3B pork

MANILA - A clerical error. That is what Budget Secretary Butch Abad calls the supposed billions in pork allotment for former Compostela Valley lawmaker Manuel "Way Kurat" Zamora. Abad confirmed to ANC the Department of Budget and Management made a mistake in listing "Way Kurat" as having received P3 billion in pork barrel funds between 2007-2009. He said the same special allotment release order (SARO) number was assigned to a P500,000 multi-purpose building project for Way Kurat and to a P3 billion nationwide maintenance project of the Department of Public Works and Highways. Abad said when the Commission on Audit saw the same SARO number, it concluded that the DPWH project also belonged to Zamora. The budget chief said the mistake, which happened during his predecessor's term, was due to human error. He said the processing of SARO numbers used to be done manually. SARO numbers are no computer-generated. Abad said he has informed COA about the error and has apologized to Zamora's daughter. ANC Dateline Philippines, August 21, 2013