Abad not affected by DAP, plunder case—Palace

Budget Secretary Florencio Abad. INQUIRER FILE PHOTO

MANILA, Philippines — Despite parts of the Disbursement Acceleration Program (DAP) being declared unconstitutional and a plunder complaint filed against him, Budget Secretary Florencio “Butch” Abad is seemingly not disturbed, a Malacañang official said Wednesday.

“He’s doing fine. He’s working on the budget,” Presidential Spokesperson Edwin Lacierda told Palace reporters.

“So a cursory look at Secretary Butch Abad is (that) he is just occupied with the budget operation,” he added.

Malacañang earlier said that Abad, who has been credited for crafting the now defunct DAP, was still busy working on next year’s general appropriations and unable to find time to face the media and answer questions on the DAP.

Abad himself told the Philippine Daily Inquirer that he was preoccupied putting together the 2015 budget and have yet to study the Supreme Court’s decision.

Lacierda said Abad will answer accusations against him “at an appropriate time.”

Malacañang again defended the Budget Secretary, saying he did nothing wrong, contrary to Kabataan Party-list’s plunder complaint against the official.  wasted

“Did Secretary Butch Abad squander the money? No. Was the money stolen? No. Very, very clear, categorical answers that neither acts happened. Did he personally gain from it? Not either,” Lacierda said in a mix of English and Filipino.

“My shallow inter[pretation]—shallow reading of plunder, you are required to have personal gain. And Secretary Butch Abad did not in any manner, shape, or form gain from any of these programs—funds from these programs,” he said.

Lacierda said Abad only thought of a way to speed up the utilization of government funds through fast-moving projects. He reiterated the government stand that the SC ruling was only a “divergence” in opinion between the executive and the judiciary.

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