FILE PHOTO: Senator Leila de Lima. INQUIRER
MANILA, Philippines — Opposition Senator Leila de Lima on Thursday said that President Rodrigo Duterte’s posturing against corruption is merely a “hypocritical attempt at pandering” after he criticized the Commission on Audit (COA) for flagging government agencies on their budget utilization.
According to the staunch Duterte critic, Duterte’s unsupportive remarks on COA betray his anti-corruption statements.
“Duterte’s attacks on the Commission on Audit (COA) show that his bravado statements against corruption are nothing but a hypocritical attempt at pandering,” de Lima lamented in a statement.
“Sabi siya nang sabi na galit siya sa korapsyon pero hindi naman niya sinusuportahan ang COA na siyang pangunahing ahensya na nagsusuri sa tama o maling paggastos ng gobyerno sa pera ng taumbayan,” she added.
(He kept on saying that he hates corruption but he does not support COA which is the main agency that analyzes the correct or wrong expenditure of the government using the public’s money.)
The senator also said that government agencies do not have any business in spending the peoples’ money if they cannot use it pursuant to the law.
De Lima noted that the government has trillions in loans and the public has the right to know how it is being utilized because they will pay those debts through taxes.
The legislator likewise said that if the Presidential Communications Operations Office has funds to hire 400 individuals for their alleged propaganda, the Department of Health (DOH) should have hired workers to ensure proper documentation of their budget as COA flagged “deficiencies” worth over P67 billion in the 2020 pandemic funds of the health agency.
De Lima, meanwhile, cited Vice President Leni Robredo’s office for its services amid the pandemic despite the low budget, and its rightful usage of the fund.
De Lima concluded by telling government officials to do their jobs, including complying with COA regulations, or “resign their posts.”
“Our people are suffering the worst effects of the pandemic. They should be the ones crying, not the officials who refuse to resign after being proven time and again as incompetent, ineffective, and incapable of following the law,“ de Lima said.
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