Andaya claims DBM official, former lawmaker witnessed Diokno’s bribe try
MANILA, Philippines — Camarines Sur 1st District Rep. Rolando Andaya Jr. had claimed that a Department of Budget and Management (DBM) official and a former lawmaker were present when Budget Secretary Diokno allegedly tried to bribe the House of Representatives.
Andaya said in an ambush interview on Friday that DBM Undersecretary Amenah Pangandaman and former Leyte 1st District Rep. Martin Romualdez witnessed and heard Diokno’s alleged offer of P40 billion in exchange for not touching the P75-billion “pork” insertion in the proposed 2019 national budget.
He said the meeting took place at the DBM office in September 2018.
“I will give you P40 billion from savings if you don’t touch the 75 […] Kasi ang tanong ko, pano ko aayusin ‘tong P75 billion na mali-mali ‘yong alokasyon sa 2019, hindi namin kaya ayusin ‘to mag-isa (Because my question is how am I going to fix this P75-billion insertion if the allocations for 2019 are not in order. We cannot fix this ourselves),” Andaya, who head the House committee on appropriations, said.
“‘Yon ang sagot sa akin, bigyan na lang kita ng P40 billion galing sa savings. Katabi niya (si Undersecretary Pangandaman), katabi ko si Cong Martin (That’s his answer: he will give P40 billion from savings. He was beside Undersecretary Pangandaman, and I was beside Congressman Martin),” he added.
The lawmaker made the accusations in a press briefing on Friday, just before the hearing of his committee. Diokno, however, denied Andaya’s claim, saying it is “wild and baseless.”
“False. Another wild and baseless accusation,” Diokno told INQUIRER.net in an earlier report.
READ: Diokno belies Andaya’s ‘bribery’ claims; says it’s ‘wild, baseless’
According to Andaya, President Rodrigo Duterte is not aware of the issue.
“Hindi niya alam, ‘to (He doesn’t know this). Not this new issue,” he said.
He also revealed that he consulted House Speaker Gloria Macapagal-Arroyo regarding the issue, who advised him to deny the offer.
“Yes, (according to the Speaker) ‘wag akong kumagat diyan (I should not bite that). That’s a trap,” he added. /ee
