QC ready to return P142M, says Bautista

By: Rima Jessamine Granali - 10 years ago

Quezon City Mayor Herbert Bautista. INQUIRER.net/HOTARU NIITSU

Quezon City is ready to return the money.

City Administrator Aldrin Cuña on Thursday said that Mayor Herbert Bautista wrote the Department of Budget and Management (DBM) last year about the P142.8 million in unspent pork barrel funds the Commission on Audit (COA) wanted the city to return to the National Treasury.

“We are ready to return the unused Priority Development Assistance Fund (PDAF),” Cuña said.

When asked for a copy of the letter, Cuña said it would take time to look for it.

Cuña said the nongovernment organizations and people’s organizations the COA said had received funds from the PDAF had not claimed the allocations from lawmakers.

‘Long list’ of solons

“Maybe they do not know it’s here. It’s not our obligation to look for them and tell them, ‘Come here, you already have P10-billion PDAF from a senator,’” Cuña said.

“In the first place, the pork barrel is not our fund. Our presumption is that the legislator will tell the organization [that made the request]. They [sent their request to] the congressman so we presume[d] that they [would] follow it up with the congressman,” he added.

Cuña said the city government had “a long list” of senators and congressmen who allocated pork barrel funds to Quezon City. But he would not disclose the names on the list.

He said that before giving funds to organizations, the city government required those groups to submit documents such as accreditation from the Securities and Exchange Commission (SEC) and sign an agreement that they would liquidate the funds.

He said the groups that received funds submitted receipts and financial statements for liquidation.