A member of the Presidential Anti-Corruption Commission (PACC) on Thursday pressed Justice Secretary Vitaliano Aguirre II to prosecute former President Benigno Simeon Aquino III, members of his Cabinet and his political allies for the questionable Disbursement Acceleration Program (DAP).
Greco Belgica, a former Manila councilor who was appointed to the PACC last month, submitted to Aguirre’s office additional documents to support his earlier complaint against Aquino of fund misuse through DAP.
Conspiracy alleged
Belgica now alleges there was a conspiracy between executive officials and proadministration lawmakers during Aquino’s term to misuse public funds through DAP.
Declared unconstitutional by the Supreme Court in 2014, DAP was created by the Aquino administration to use, without congressional approval, certain budget savings for special government projects.
Belgica’s documents included a memorandum on DAP signed by former Budget Secretary Florencio Abad Jr. and the transcript of a hearing held by the Senate committee on finance. Both were dated Oct. 12, 2011.
Fast-tracked processing
“In one day, DAP was presented to the Senate, signed by P-Noy (Aquino) and printed in the Official Gazette and [the] Department of Budget and Management website,” Belgica said.
He said the fast-tracked processing showed a “clear conspiracy” among Aquino, Abad, former Interior Secretary Mar Roxas, former Transportation Secretary Joseph Emilio Abaya and Senators Franklin Drilon, Antonio Trillanes IV and Francis Pangilinan.
Belgica also submitted a copy of Abad’s presentation to a Senate hearing on DAP on July 24, 2014, and claimed that funds were coursed through the Department of Public Works and Highways.