MANILA, Philippines — The Supreme Court deferred its ruling on the Disbursement Accelerated Program and set oral arguments on the issue on November 11.
The high court decision stemmed from a petition by former Iloilo Representative Augusto Syjuco Jr. to stop the government from using DAP funds for the earthquake victims in Central Visayas because it is unconstitutional.
The government intended to use DAP for the earthquake victims because its contingent and calamity funds were almost depleted, said Budget Secretary Florencio Abad.
Abad, in a statement, said the P11 billion rehabilitation of areas in Mindanao ravaged by typhoon Pablo, the world’s strongest storm in 2012, was taken from the governments’s P7.5 billion calamity fund
Syjuco, however argued that there was a remaining P6.95 billion fund as posted on the website of the Department of Budget and Management.
The former lawmaker maintained that DAP was not created by law even if it had the intention of expediting development in the countryside through infrastructure and social services projects.