Bayan Muna tells Sara: It is France Castro’s duty to ask you questions
Bayan Muna said Sara Duterte’s tirade against ACT Teacher’s Party Rep. France Castro at yesterday’s hearing by the House of Representatives for the Office of the Vice President’s proposed 2025 budget was “malicious intrigue and disinformation.”
Bayan Muna executive vice president and himself former congressman Carlos Isagani Zarate criticized fellow lawyer Duterte on her remarks that Castro should not be sitting in ongoing budget deliberations because of her recent conviction of some form of “child abuse.”
Zarate said Rep. Castro’s is simply fulfilling her legitimate role and vital oversight functions as a lawmaker.
“Kahit ang isang first year law student ay alam niya na kapag nakaapila pa sa Court of Appeals o maging sa Supreme Court ang ano mang decision ng Regional Trial Court (RTC), hindi pa ito final at hindi pa maaaring ipatupad,” Zarate stated.
(Even a first year law student knows that if a Regional Trial Court judgement is under appeal before the Court of Appeals or even the Supreme Court, it is not yet final and executory.)
Zarate pointed out that Duterte should know the principle and should not leverage Castro’s case to evade questions about the Office of the Vice President’s (OVP)’s budget, especially its use of so-called confidential funds.
He emphasized the constitutional right and duty of Rep. Castro and other congressional members to scrutinize the budget proposals of all government agencies, including the OVP.
Duterte turned her office’s budget hearing Tuesday upside down by refusing to answer questions from House Appropriations Committee members, even demanding that presiding officer and Marikina Rep. Stella Quimbo be replaced.
READ: Makabayan resumes probe of Sara’s past confidential funds expenditure
The OVP is seeking a budget of P2.037 billion for 2025, an increase from the P1.885 billion for this year.
Misuse of funds
Duterte particularly refused to answer questions on how she spent P125 million in confidential and intelligence funds in a matter of 11 days in December 2022.
Zarate pointed that that the Commission on Audit (COA) red-flagged the misuse of P73 million of the confidential funds, ordering the OVP to return the amount to the national coffers.
The COA Notice of Disallowance revealed that at least P69 million of the P73 million involved P10 million for reward payment; P34.857 million for payment of reward (various goods); and P24.93 million for payment of reward (medicines).
COA said that the OVP did not submit documents showing the success of information gathering and/or surveillance activities to support the acknowledgment receipts for around P69 million of payments of rewards in cash, various goods, and medicines.
Likewise, COA said that P3.5 million of the disallowed P73 million “were used for payment for tables, chairs, desktop computers and printers without specifying that they were intended for the confidential operations/activities undertaken by the OVP, non-compliant with the requirement of Item 4.8.4 of the Joint Circular governing use of confidential fund.”
“Kapag humihingi ka ng budget galing sa pondo ng bayan o public funds, kailangang ipaliwanag mo kung saan, paano at bakit mo ito gagamitin, kahit pa pambili mo ito ng office supplies o pambili ng daing na pusit,” Zarate said.
(If you request for a budget from the people’s money, you must explain how, where and why you need it, including office supplies or dried squid.)
Zarate underscored the importance of transparency and accountability in government spending, calling on public officials to justify their use of taxpayer money rather than resorting to deflection and disinformation. # (Raymund B. Villanueva)
