P647M info campaign ng PCOO pinaiimbestigahan sa Senado

MANILA, Philippines – Pinaiimbestigahan ni Sen. Antonio Trillanes IV sa Senado ang maanomalyang paggastos umano ng Presidential Communications Operations Office sa Association of Southeast Asian Nations Summit noong 2017.

Ipinasa ni Trillanes ang Senate Resolution 733 Martes, kung saan nais niyang ipasilip sa Senado ang P647.11 milyon information campaign ng PCOO sa panahon AEAN kung saan ang Pilipinas ang tumayong chairman.

“There is an immediate need to look into the alleged irregularities in the disposition of PCOO’s budget and its irregular expenditures for the aforementioned information caravan in order to ensure that government funds are legally and properly allocated, directed and spent toward the sole purpose for which the funds were allocated,” nakasaad sa resolusyon.

Pinanghahawakan ni Trillanes ang report ng tabloid na Hataw na nakakita umano ng kaduda-dudang nangyari sa information caravan ng PCOO Committee on Media Affairs and Strategic Communications ang Commission on Audit. 

Sinabi din ng report na ito ang dahilan kaya nagresign si Noel Puyat, na siyang may hawak ng komite na naglunsad ng information campaign, sa kanyang posisyon.

“This is following the resignation of then Department of Tourism Secretary Wanda Teo also due to anomalous spending of the agency budget,” sabi ni Trillanes.

Kinuwestyon din ng COA ang P60-milyon advertisement deal sa pagitan ng Department of Tourism at state-run People’s Television Network, Inc.

“We are confident that all our official transactions have been above-board,” sinabi ni Puyat sa isang report sa PTV.

Sa parehong report sa PTV, itinanggi ng COA na walang audit report na na-isyu na kagaya ng lumabas sa tabloid.