Palace: No panic over DAP

MANILA, Philippines - President Aquino is not at all worried over criticisms of his decision to keep embattled Budget Secretary Florencio Abad in his Cabinet, and his televised address tonight is not an indication of panic, a Palace spokesman said yesterday.

“No panic. Our President is very calm and the members of the Cabinet and the national government continue to do their duties,” Presidential Communications Secretary Herminio Coloma Jr. told state-owned radio dzRB.

Coloma advised the public, including government detractors, to just wait for the President’s national address, to be aired on all local television networks, saying Aquino wanted to communicate with his bosses – the 94 million Filipino people.

On Friday, Aquino announced that he had rejected Abad’s offer to resign amid the Disbursement Acceleration Program (DAP) controversy.

Aquino and Abad have been lambasted by various sectors for the implementation of the controversial DAP.

The Supreme Court recently declared key portions of the DAP unconstitutional after savings pooled under the program were allocated to programs, activities and projects not covered by the General Appropriations Act or the national budget.

Coloma belied speculations that Aquino decided to keep Abad – who filed a courtesy and not irrevocable resignation – because the budget secretary knows so much in government dealings, which could bring down the administration.

“The allegation has no basis and no truth and the President had already spoken about the issue,” said Coloma.

He said Aquino’s statement tonight would make people understand even more the rationale behind his decision to reject the resignation of Abad, a close friend and stalwart of the ruling Liberal Party.

“The President believes that a well-informed citizenry will be able to make well-informed decisions that will affect themselves and the future of the country,” Coloma maintained.

He said the people should be given the complete information so that they understand the reasons for the government’s actions.

On the President’s decision to retain Abad in his cabinet, Sen. Francis Escudero said he is not in a position to judge the President’s actions.

“Let history decide whether the decision of the President is right or wrong in retaining Abad in his cabinet,” said Escudero, allied with the administration but identified with the faction of Executive Secretary Paquito Ochoa whose team is against the Liberal Party bloc led by Senate President Franklin Drilon and Abad.

Escudero said the Senate would still call Abad to its inquiry that hopes to determine how the government spent more than P100 billion in DAP funds.

Escudero, chairman of the Senate committee on finance, also lashed out at Abad for again putting the President in the spot when the former should be explaining the DAP and how it was used.

He referred to the scheduled national address by President Aquino tonight regarding the issue. 

“Do we really need the announcement from PNoy? If you ask me, it should be Sec. Abad who should come out and address the public instead of the President because he is the alter ego of the President,” Escudero told radio dzBB.

If the President will push through with his plan to address the nation tonight, Escudero expressed hope that he will be able to provide a convincing explanation on DAP including the details on who benefited from the funds.

“I think it is important that the President is able to establish that the funds were spent wisely in worthy government projects,” Escudero said. “Where did the DAP funds go? Which DAP (projects) violated the law?”

As far as he is concerned, Escudero expressed belief that DAP did not characterize “savings.”

He also echoed the Supreme Court’s decision that classified DAP as cross-border allocations, meaning the funds went from executive to Congress, judiciary and the constitutional bodies.

He also wanted to know the circumstances why the DAP did not have any item in the budget and why there were DAP funds that came from “unprogrammed funds,” which did not get the signature of the national treasurer.

“DAP is not all wrong, but we are seeking answers to the disbursements which fall in the category found as unconstitutional by the Supreme Court,” he added.

Escudero is hopeful that Abad will not snub the Senate inquiry, knowing that they have to explain to the public how DAP funds were spent before Congress again starts the debates on the 2015 national budget.

Violation, betrayal

Meanwhile, at least two impeachment complaints against President Aquino will be filed this week in the House of Representatives for alleged culpable violation of the Constitution and betrayal of public trust, an opposition lawmaker said yesterday.

Kabataan party-list Rep. Terry Ridon said youth groups and student organizations are expected to file their impeachment complaint on Thursday in connection with the illegal P177-billion DAP while the militant Bagong Alyansang Makabayan will file their own complaint the day before or Wednesday.

Both impeachment complaints, he said, are guaranteed to be endorsed by at least one House member.

Ridon said he’ll back the complaint to be filed by youth groups while other members of the so-called Makabayan bloc in the House will endorse the other one.

Despite the filing of impeachment complaints by lawyer Oliver Lozano and former Iloilo Rep. Augusto Syjuco in the past days, not one has been formally endorsed by a lawmaker so technically there is still no complaint filed against Aquino.

“We are more determined now to file charges against Aquino because the public saw the circus, mockery, and insult of the people’s trust when Secretary Abad supposedly offered to resign and Aquino rejected it,” Ridon said, referring to the architect of the DAP, which was declared illegal and unconstitutional by the Supreme Court in a unanimous ruling.

The lawmaker said he expects at least 50 complainants or signatories from the group Youth Act Now! and many more from other organizations and student groups.

He said the impeachment complaints, despite what his colleagues from the majority bloc and Malacañang are claiming, “have solid grounds” as Aquino committed willful and deliberation violations of the Constitution.

Leyte Rep. Ferdinand Martin Romualdez, who leads the independent bloc in the House, said “somebody has got to suffer the consequences after the unanimous SC ruling that declared the DAP unconstitutional.

“If President Aquino will keep Disbursement Acceleration Program brains Budget Secretary Florencio Abad, then Malacañang had better identify fast who should be held accountable or be penalized for it,” the lawmaker said.

“The Constitution, the supreme law of the land, was violated. When a law is violated, the violator must be punished. No one breaks the law and walks away untouched, as if he didn’t do anything wrong,” said Romualdez, also president of the Philippine Constitution Association (Philconsa).

He said good faith or good intention is not an excuse to violate the Constitution, or any law for that matter, anytime.

Buhay party-list Rep. Lito Atienza meanwhile cautioned Aquino against trusting Abad, whom he said has a record of betraying presidents.

“He (Abad) betrayed Erap (former President and now Manila Mayor Joseph Estrada), whom he was very close to; he also betrayed GMA (Pampanga Rep. Gloria Macapagal-Arroyo), I would hate to see the day when he stabs in the back the President, especially that he has less than 24 months left in office,” Atienza said.

He said Abad should have the “delicadeza” to leave his post even if Aquino wants him retained as the public demanded accountability over the DAP case. With Christina Mendez, Paolo Romero