Gov’t tells critics: Question specific disbursements; DAP no longer exists

Solicitor General Francis Jardeleza. INQUIRER FILE PHOTO

MANILA, Philippines – Government lawyers on Tuesday told critics of the Disbursement Acceleration Program (DAP) to question specific disbursements because DAP no longer exists.

Solicitor-General Francis Jardeleza sad “we challenge the petitioners to pick and choose which among the 116 DAP projects they wish to nullify.”

Jardeleza said they have submitted memoranda enumerating 116 DAP projects. They have also submitted documents to prove that the government had sufficient savings for augmentation and, in accordance with the law, had been disbursed through DAP by the President to augment existing items in the General Appropriations Act (GAA).

During the interpellation of the high court justices, Jardeleza said if the GAA provides for the initial appropriation, when it fell short “then through savings, the President can augment through the use of savings as allowed by the Constitution.”

He added that the amount fixed for a specific allocation is not a limitation.

“If it is an authority to spend, then the President, as far as his department is concerned, referring to the Executive Department, has the full freedom to take anything which he would call savings from any item or any allotment because anyway, he could use that to augment any other item existing in the GAA,” Bersamin said.

“If savings exist as defined by the Congress, then the agencies may recommend to the President and the President approves the use for certain projects,” Jardeleza answered.

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