House open to audit
MANILA, Philippines — The House of Representatives is open for an audit of its funds, its chairman of its accounts committee said on Monday.
“We have always been audited. Government agencies have no choice but (to submit to) audits,” An Waray Representative Florencio Noel told reporters in a chance interview at the House.
But while he said that they were regularly being audited by the Commission on Audit and a resident auditor, Noel said that they would have to study the legal and technical aspects of a possible independent audit on their finances.
Lawmakers equally received an added P500,000 additional maintenance and other operating expenses (MOOE) last December, said Noel, noting that this funding was not taken from their savings but was something allocated in their yearly budget.
“We have no savings. The MOOE was not started by the 15th Congress but was being done since the eighth Congress. Naabutan ko na nilalagay na yun sa budget,” he said.
He said that additional funds were allotted for getting additional lawyers and researchers.
Every month, each congressman from Luzon, Metro Manila as well as those representing partylist groups receive P287,000; those from Visayas receive P290,000; while those from Mindanao receive P300,000.
The amounts given to legislators representing districts in Visayas and Mindanao were larger because due to costly travel expenses.
Noel said that they get “certification” that lawmakers received the said funds and maintained that every member received equal funding no matter if they were the Speaker or the chairperson of the accounts panel.
Lawmakers likewise liquidate their expenses, providing for purposes of the regular audits copies of passports and boarding passes for their travels.
“Definitely pantay-pantay. Hindi porke’t Speaker o chairman ng accounts iba,” he said.
