Spending for Aquino visit to NBP scored

President Benigno Aquino III. INQUIRER FILE PHOTO

A P50 meal for an inmate, P720,000 for the President and guests.

Amid the government’s program to end frivolous spending, the Bureau of Corrections (BuCor) spent close to P2 million of its meager budget in one day when it feted President Benigno Aquino III and other visiting senior government officials at the New Bilibid Prison (NBP) in Muntinlupa City on January 27, according to documents culled by the Philippine Daily Inquirer.

For food and beverages alone, the bureau paid around P720,000 to an unidentified caterer for meals for the President and guests at the launch of the “BuCor 2022 Road Map.”

Documents also showed the BuCor spent over P576,000 for the printing of tarpaulin banners and P203,700 to rent the carpet used at  the event.

In addition, the prison bureau paid P450,000 to Dotgain Solutions Inc. for the rental of an air-conditioned tent.

The BuCor also footed the bill amounting to almost P221,000 for the meals of several individuals, including P61,199.50 for the lunch of some members of the media who took part in related events.

With the government’s daily food budget of P50 for every inmate, the amount was enough to provide three meals to the 18,820 inmates of the state penitentiary.

Malacañang said on Sunday it had been made aware of the amount spent  and that the “allegations” would be referred to a fact-finding panel.

The cash voucher “to reimburse expenses of foods” was signed by Corrections Director Gaudencio Pangilinan, who was recently charged by BuCor employee Kabungsuan Makilala in the Department of Justice with violating the government procurement law.

The cash voucher for the food expenses was dated January 31 and listed Teresa Geniston, Pangilinan’s personal assistant, as the payee.

“This is a clear violation of our laws on procurement. That Teresa Geniston is not even authorized to handle that big an amount of the people’s money since she is not an organic employee (of BuCor),” Sandra Cam, president of the Whistleblowers Association, told the Inquirer.

The Inquirer tried to get the reaction of Pangilinan and NBP Superintendent Richard Schwarzkopf Jr., but they did not answer calls and text messages.