MANILA, Philippines — Kasunod ng mga pondong napupuna ng Commission on Audit (COA) sa sari-saring ahensya ng gobyerno nitong mga nagdaang araw, pinaiimbestigahan na rin ng mga progresibong mambabatas ang ilang "savings" ng gobyerno na ginagawang discretionary funds diumano ni Pangulong Rodrigo Duterte sa ngayon.
Ito ang panawagan sa ngayon ng Bayan Muna party-list matapos masita ng COA ang Department of Health, Technical Education and Skills Development Authority at Department of Information and Communications Technology sa paggamit ng kani-kanilang pondo.
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"There is a National Budget Circular 586 trying to collect the expected savings from the FY 2020 GAA from agencies," ani Rep. Carlo Zarate (Bayan Muna) sa isang pahayag ngayong Miyerkules.
"This NBC 586 covers released allotments under the FY 2020 GAA which remain unobligated until May 15, 2021, but not expressly earmarked for the implementation of programs / activities /projects addressing the COVID19 pandemic and can be realigned by the president as he see fit."
Ayon kay Zarate, walang pinagkaiba ang NBC 586 sa Disbursement Acceleration Program savings o presidential pork, na dati nang idineklarang unconstitutional ng Korte Suprema noong panahon ni dating Pangulong Noynoy Aquino.
Taong 2013 din nang ideklara ng Supreme Court na unconstitutional ang Priority Development Assistance Funds o congressional pork barrel, kasunod ng scam na inihain sa ilang senador at negosyanteng si Janet Lim Napoles.
Lunes lang nang manggalaiti si Duterte sa pagpuna ng COA sa P67.3 bilyong "deficiencies" ng DOH sa kanilang COVID-19 response funds, kahit ilang taon nang nagsasagawa ng annual audit ang naturang komisyon.
"Without proper accounting, we cannot blame the people for thinking that this administration is trying to create an enormous war chest in the run up for the 2022 elections to ensure that the Duterte clique's influence and control extend beyond June 30 next year," patuloy ni Zarate.
Ayon naman kay Neri Colmenares, chairperson ng parehong party-list, kataka-takang ngayon pa nagkakaroon ng underspending sa mga ahensya sa panahon ng pandemya, kung kailan dapat gumastos ang gobyerno.
Ang presidential pork ay isang lump sum amount kung saan presidente at ehekutibo ang magdedesisyon sa benepisyaryo, proyekto at laki ng perang gagamitin.
"We challenge the Duterte administration to officially report the overall savings since 2017 and inform the people where these savings supposedly went... The COA and the Ombudsman must investigate if much needed funds for Covid are being used for the premature election campaigning of Duterte candidates," ani Colmenares.
"President Duterte has borrowed more than P3 trillion in 2020. While we are paying interest in the hundreds of billions for these loans, we have available funds that could have been used." Dagdag pa nila, dapat mabulok sa kulungan ang mga tiwaling may kinalaman sa ganiyong underspending at maanomalyang realignments.
Paglilinaw ng TESDA
Sa hiwalay na paliwanag nitong Martes, inilinaw naman ng TESDA ang nasitang P160.08 milyon ng COA, na inilipat daw sa National Task Force to End Local Communist Armed Conflict (NTF-ELCAC) kahit "walang proper authority/legal basis" at guidelines kung paano gagamitin ang pera.
"As far as I know, out of the total P160,083,401.61, the amount of P147,383,401.61 were releases to the Regional Offices. These funds were sources out from the TESDA Centrally Managed Funds, specifically from TESDA scholarship funds as reflected in TESDA's budget FY 2020 [General Appropriations Act," ani Isidro Lapena, director general ng TESDA.
"On the other hand, the amount of P12.7-million balance from the P160 million were taken from the P45.9-million budget for the implementation of EO 70 allocated by [Department of Budget and Management] which are intended for the operating expenses for 17 regions."
— TESDA (@tesdaofficial) August 17, 2021
Ang mga kinekwestyon pondo ay ginamit daw nila para sa iba't ibang scholarship at livelihood programs para sa mga dating rebeldeng komunista, mga nakatira sa liblib na komunidad at mga katutubo.
Patuloy naman daw nakikipag-ugnayan sina Lapena sa COA para maresolba ang isyu.