Pimentel, Senate’s top spender, says he still saved P31M

He may have been the Senate’s top spender in 2017, but Sen. Aquilino Pimentel III on Wednesday said he actually saved P31 million because he did not use up all the funds allocated to him.

Figures released by the Commission on Audit (COA) on Tuesday showed that Pimentel spent P127.8 billion in 2017 when he was still Senate President.

Pimentel explained that this was due to his position as head of the chamber, which entitled him to a bigger budget.

He had more meetings and responsibilities and needed more staff and consultants, he added.

“The Senate President actually has a budget of more than two times the budget of an ordinary senator. According to my finance officer, I could have spent P158 million in 2017, but I spent P127 million, therefore saving P31 million,” he told reporters.

No notice of disallowance

Pimentel also said the COA had not issued any notice of disallowance for the entire account of the Senate for 2017.

Sen. Antonio Trillanes IV, the second biggest spender with P87 million in expenses, said all senators had the same budget allocations.

“My office merely utilized those allocations, instead of realigning them for other purposes,” Trillanes said. —Leila B. Salaverria/ac