President of the Chamber of Deputies justifies gasoline budget increase for members of Parliament

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SANTIAGO.- The president of the Chamber of Deputies, Francisco Encina, has called the scandal over the fuel budget increase for members of Parliament "an exaggeration". The budget adjustment adds another $100 thousand to the $700 thousand pesos already designated for the purpose.

Encina defended the measure by saying that there are many deputies that spend more than that ($800 thousand pesos) because they have many municipalities and they need to travel to each of their districts, some of which are 400 kilometers away from Santiago.

Additionally, Encina reiterated that the deputies have more than one vehicle at their offices, and therefore end up consuming more fuel. "I assure you that many spend more on gasoline than what is allocated to them (…) For example, in my district, I have three cars", he claimed.

Nevertheless, the president of the Chamber stressed that the budget is a good way to control expenses since, "if we had to hand in bills with invoices, it would allow for less transparency".