More work in last 728 days

Deputy presidential spokesperson Abigail Valte. INQUIRER FILE PHOTO

MANILA, Philippines—Malacañang said it was aware of the possibility that criminal cases could be filed against President Benigno Aquino III and members of his Cabinet when their terms expire in 2016.

But deputy presidential spokesperson Abigail Valte said the expectation would not hamper the administration’s work over the remaining 728 days in Mr. Aquino’s term.

She said the Palace had yet to decide whether to bring a motion asking the Supreme Court to reconsider its ruling on the DAP.

Still studying ruling

The Palace was still studying the ruling and the justices’ separate opinions, she said.

Asked whether Abad, who has yet to be heard from since the ruling came down on Tuesday, has become a liability to the President, Valte replied, “Not at this point.”

“If you look at the track record of Secretary Abad, and the reforms that he’s initiated, I believe you can all go through the body of his work and you can see what steps he has taken to make sure that the budget, the people’s money, is spent wisely,” she said.

Sen. Antonio Trillanes IV, who received P50 million from the DAP, said he wasn’t aware of the program when senators were asked to recommend projects for funding.

“I was never aware of the DAP. In fact, I checked the referral letter for the list of projects my office gave to the finance committee and it was specifically for PDAF (Priority Development Assistance Fund),” he said in a text message.

“I believe there was no deception because the DAP was the term used solely by the executive branch. But when they allocated funds to Congress, it technically became additional PDAF, which was still not unconstitutional at that time,” he added.

He said the DAP funds allotted for the projects he recommended had been accounted for.

“Yes, we have accounted for all of the identified projects. Almost all have been implemented, save for a few that have been suspended with the Supreme Court’s issuance of the TRO (temporary restraining order) on the PDAF,” he said. Nikko Dizon

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