(Eagle News)–Rep. Rolando Andaya Jr. on Saturday, Jan. 26, reiterated his call for Budget Secretary Benjamin Diokno to attend a House of Representatives’ panel inquiry into alleged anomalies in the national budget.
Andaya renewed the call following what he said were “developments” that include Public Works Secretary Mark Villar supposedly confirming on record what he has been saying all along—that “Diokno was the mastermind behind the P75-billion insertion in the DPWH (Department of Public Works and Highways) allocations for the proposed 2019 national budget.”
He said Villar also “told a multimedia forum that Sec. Diokno did not notify the DPWH about the P75 billion that was added to its budget for 2019.”
In fact, he said Villar only found out about the same when the Department of Budget and Management released the National Expenditure Program, which President Rodrigo Duterte submitted to the House of Representatives in July 2018.
“Also last week, we got hold of a copy of Sec. Diokno’s letter to Sec. Villar dated June 14, 2018, informing him about the decision of DBM to cut the DPWH’s proposed budget for 2019 from P652 million to P480 million,” Andaya said.
Andaya quoted Diokno as saying the P480 million was the “‘final budget level to be submitted for Congressional review.'”
“Hindi na puwedeng magtago si Sec. Diokno. Kailangan na niyang ipaliwanag sa mambabatas at sa publiko kung ano ang puno’t dulo ng mga insertions sa national budget,” Andaya said.
He gave the assurance the House Appropriations Committee would give the Budget chief the forum to explain his side.
He said “despite snubbing congressional hearings for three times already, we invited him once again to appear as resource person in the resumption of hearing on Tuesday, Jan. 29.”
“Marami siyang dapat ipaliwanag. Who was responsible for the choosing the infrastructure projects listed in the P75-billion insertions? Where are these projects located? Who encoded the projects that were inserted to the official list submitted by DPWH to DBM?” Andaya asked.
Earlier, Diokno said he was told not to attend the hearings, but did not say who gave him the order.
The Palace has stood by Diokno despite the allegations which came after Sen. Panfilo Lacson noted a district in Camarines Sur and a district in Pampanga–Speaker Gloria Arroyo’s–had cornered congressional insertions in the proposed national budget by the House.
