(Eagle News) — House appropriations committee chair Rolando Andaya Jr. wants Budget Secretary Benjamin Diokno cited in contempt for his failure to appear anew in the panel’s hearing on Friday, Feb. 8, on alleged anomalies in the proposed national budget for 2019.
Andaya said Diokno should be held liable for snubbing the hearing and those before that even after the Budget chief said “there was no proper notice and not enough time to allow him and other (Department of Budget and Management) officials and staff to adequately prepare for the hearing” to explain his absence.
In a letter sent to the Office of Speaker Gloria Arroyo, Diokno said the DBM received the House’s subpoena only on Thursday, Feb. 7, at 11 a.m.
The hearing today was scheduled at 10 a.m.
According to Diokno, House rules, in particular, Section 8 (3) of the Rules of Procedure Governing Inquiries in Aid of Legislation, provide that a “[s]ubpoena shall be served to a witness at least three days before a scheduled hearing in order to give the witness every opportunity to prepare for the hearing and to employ counsel, should the witness desire.”
He also asked for a list of questions to be raised during the hearing, citing the Supreme Court’s ruling in Neri vs. Senate Committee on Accountability of Public Officers and Investigations, et al.
The ruling reiterates a previous ruling in Senate vs. Ermita which says that “the invitations should contain the possible needed statute which prompted the need for the inquiry, along with the usual indication of the subject of inquiry and the questions relative to and in furtherance thereof.”
“Compliance with this requirement is imperative, both under Sections 21 and 22 of Article VI of the Constitution. This must be to ensure that the rights of both persons appearing in or affected by such inquiry are respected as mandated by said Section 21 and by virtue of the express language of Section 22,” the ruling had said.
Diokno last attended the Question Hour on December 11, 2018, where he was given questions in advance, but these were not asked during the same, the DBM said.
The agency said Diokno was instead ridiculed by Andaya, prompting Duterte and Cabinet members to criticize the House.
Diokno did not attend subsequent panel hearings, citing a Palace directive.