Gatchalian wants PITC, DBM-PS abolished to prevent agencies’ ‘bad habit’ of parking funds

Sen. Win Gatchalian. Senate PRIB file photo / Voltaire F. Domingo

MANILA, Philippines — Senator Sherwin Gatchalian on Tuesday called for the abolition of the Philippine International Trade Corporation (PITC) and the Department of Budget and Management-Procurement Service (DBM-PS), which he said agencies use for their “bad habit” of parking funds.

Gatchalian made the call amid concerns raised on the allegedly overpriced medical supplies purchased by government agencies through the PITC or the DBM-PS.

“Ang nangyayari kasi nagiging masamang habit o masamang ugali ng mga ahensya kung hindi nila magastos ang pondo, pinapasa nila dito sa PITC at DBM-PS para hindi sila masabihan na low utilization o di ginagamit ang pondo,” Gatchalian said in a televised briefing.

(It has become government agencies’ bad habit of government agencies that if they don’t use the funds, they transfer it to PITC or DBM-PS so that they won’t be marked for low utilization or for not using their budget.)

“Pagdating naman sa PITC at DBM PS, hindi naman nila nagagastos at nagagamit yung pondo. So itong dalawang ahensyang ito dapat mabuwag na dahil nagiging bad habit na ipinapasa po yung pondo sa kanilang tanggapan,” he added.

(When the funds go to PITC and the DBM-PS, they don’t use the funds. So these two agencies should be abolished because it has become a bad habit to transfer their funds to these two agencies.)

Senator Imee Marcos has said she is eyeing to file a bill that would abolish PITC and the DBM-PS and suggested giving the two agencies a P1 yearly budget.

When funds are parked in these agencies, Marcos said it “outlives its usefulness” and becomes prone to irregularities in the procurement.

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JPV