COA pushed to release final report on lawmakers use of PDAF

Former Senator Ernesto Maceda. FILE PHOTO

PAMPANGA, Philippines — The Commission on Audit (COA) should come out with a final report on questionable uses by lawmakers of their priority development assistance fund (PDAF) instead of releasing information by installment, a candidate of the United Nationalist Alliance (UNA) said here Saturday.

Former senator Ernesto Maceda told reporters at the sidelines of a sortie in Candaba that he was curious as to why COA was revealing the questionable use of pork barrel bit by bit.

The COA reported the alleged questionable use of the PDAF by Senator Gregorio Honasan and former lawmakers Risa Hontiveros and Alfonso Umali Jr.

The report indicated that Honasan, Hontiveros and Umali released millions in funding for organizations which the COA said was a misuse of the PDAF.

Hontiveros and Umali are with the Liberal Party coalition of President Benigno Aquino III. Hontiveros is running for senator.

“Why don’t they just release the entire report and file cases?” Maceda asked in Filipino.

The COA has released a similar report on the supposedly questionable use of the PDAF by Senate President Juan Ponce Enrile and Senate President Pro Tempore Jose “Jinggoy” Estrada.

Maceda said he would not lecture those tagged in the two reports as to how the funds should be utilized, saying that their goal as senators were to provide funding for projects.

He said that he “cannot preach them for any misuse of the funds” as it was the organizations’ responsibility to ensure that the funding released were used appropriately.