MANILA, Philippines — Embattled Budget Secretary Florencio Abad on Thursday defended before senators the Disbursement Acceleration Program (DAP) that has been declared unconstitutional in part by the Supreme Court.
Maintaining that the DAP benefited the public, Abad denied during a Senate finance committee hearing that President Aquino was ill-advised on the controversial fund scheme.
"Hindi ko po alam kung ating pangulo ang ill-advised. Kasi kung titignan niyo ang resulta ng DAP, ang mismong Korte Suprema sinabi, indisputably, the DAP has served the country well," Abad told Senator JV Ejercito.
"Isa na po siya sa mga pinakamapanuri at masinop na kumikilatis sa budget. By himself, the President is able to scrutinize the issues regarding budget. Hindi po ganoon kalaki ang pangangailangan niya ng advice," Abad also said.
During the hearing, Abad said the DAP was conceived as an urgent response to government underspending that posed a significant threat to the country's economic development.
Abad said the DAP supported programs that could stimulate the economy or ensure the delivery of important social services to the poorest Filipinos.
He cited anew the projects and services funded under the DAP that benefited the nation such as the construction of roads and bridges, Project NOAH, the electrification of communities, among others.
The budget chief also reiterated that due to the DAP, the country's gross domestic product rose by 6.8 percent and 7.23 percent in 2012 and 2013, respectively.
Abad, who is considered the chief architect of the DAP, echoed Aquino's statement last week that the Supreme Court ruling declaring important acts under the DAP as unconstitutional will have an impact to the economy.
"While I bow to the Supreme Court's wisdom, I must say, with all due respect, that its decision on these issues may undo progress we've been making," Abad said. - Louis Bacani