Drilon accounts for DAP funds
MANILA, Philippines—Amid calls to return the Disbursement Acceleration Program funds now that the mechanism has been voided by the Supreme Court, Senate President Franklin Drilon said the money he had availed himself of had been properly used for development projects.
Drilon also defended the DAP, saying it helped expedite the spending of the government, which contributed to better economic growth rates.
Drilon received the highest amount from the DAP, at P100 million. He was followed by Senators Francis Escudero and Juan Ponce Enrile who got P99 million and P92 million.
In a statement, Drilon said the P100 million was used to build the Iloilo Convention Center, which, as of Wednesday (July 2), was closed to being completed. He said the construction was intended to boost his home province’s chances of hosting the Asia-Pacific Economic Cooperation ministerial meetings in 2015.
Senator Franklin Drilon INQUIRER FILE PHOTO
“The funds I availed [myself] of were not misused, nor were they channeled to a bogus non-government organization,” he said.
Records would show that the DAP funds made available to him were coursed through the Department of Public Works and Highways, which implemented the project, he said.
Article continues after this advertisementHe added that the construction of the center was meant to fulfill the dreams of his constituents.
Article continues after this advertisement“What is important is that we can account for every centavo of the public funds and that there is transparency and accountability in the implementation,” he said.
Escudero, in an interview over dwIZ, said funds he received were lumped under the DAP, and said these were released way before Corona’s impeachment.
He said he had long been requesting for additional funding for his projects, since he did not receive pork barrel funds for six years under former President Gloria Macapagal Arroyo.
He also said the return of DAP funds would depend on the Supreme Court ruling. If it would be prospective, there would be no need to do so.
He noted that when the court ruled that the priority development assistance fund was unconstitutional, the decision was prospective, and nobody returned the pork barrel funds. Had this ruling been retroactive, all lawmakers would be facing cases now, he added.
Sen. Aquilino Pimentel III also said it was unfair to file cases against the senators and call for them to return the money. Pimentel said that with regard to the DAP, he was merely asked to identify projects, and he was able to identify P45.5 million worth of them in 2012.
Pimentel said the court’s ruling against the DAP did not mean the funds should be returned.
“Even if declared unconstitutional, it doesn’t mean all expenditures pursuant to the law should be returned. The effect will be on a case to case basis. Some laws have been in operation for 10, 20 years. How do you treat the acts, decisions, expenses made while the law was not yet unconstitutional?” he said.
He also said no money passed through his hands, and he had no participation in implementing the projects.
Sen. Antonio Trillanes IV also does not believe that the DAP funds should be returned if these were properly spent on projects.
“If the funds were not pocketed, no crime was committed since the SC ruling is prospective,” Trillanes said in a text message.
Those who should be held accountable were those who misappropriated or stole the funds, he said.
“A special audit by the COA should be able to identify who these erring public officials are,” he added.
Sen. Vicente Sotto also said he should not be the one asked to return funds, since his role was limited to proposing projects.
“What will I return? I merely submitted public works projects requested by the finance chairman. Ask the DPWH to return it. I do not even know what happened to those listings,” Sotto said.
Meanwhile, Sen. Jinggoy Estrada said the COA should not have a hand in scrutinizing the expenditures made under the DAP.
Estrada, in a statement, said the COA’s findings on the matter would be suspect because it benefited from the DAP to the tune of P143 million.
It would be better if an independent body made up of esteemed personalities from the academe and mass media, as well as retired justices and private auditors, would handle the matter, he said.
He pointed out that during the 2014 COA budget hearing, COA chair Grace Pulido Tan said the agency requested and received funds from the DBM to finance its modernization program.
The funds were used for the COA’s information technology infrastructure, installation of closed-circuit televisions, hiring of litigation experts and consultants, and the purchase of service vehicles, he said.
“Did these COA ‘projects help boost the economy, as the DAP they say was intended for fast moving projects and to pump prime the economy?” he said.
“Full disclosure and special audit are in order. However, I have serious reservations about the COA, being a recipient of the fund, as the auditor,” he added.
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