Aquino, others urged: Stay cool

Akbayan Rep. Walden Bello on Wednesday asked President Aquino and other parties involved in the row between the executive and the judiciary over the Disbursement Acceleration Program to “desist from confrontational language.”

“The Supreme Court has spoken on the matter, but it is the President’s right to file a motion for reconsideration. We expect, however, that the SC’s judgment on the MR will be definitive,” Bello said.

Akbayan, some of whose members have secured key positions in the Aquino government, has been critical of the DAP, parts of which the high tribunal has ruled unconstitutional.

On Monday, Mr. Aquino, in a televised address, expressed his intention to appeal the DAP ruling and, at the same time, warned the Supreme Court of a clash between the executive and the judiciary, and of the possibility that the third branch of government, the legislature, might have  to step in.

Members from various militant groups gather at Plaza Miranda, July 14,  to watch President Aquino’s Address of the Nation regarding the Disbursement Acceleration Fund (DAP). The DAP was considered unconstitutional by the Supreme Court. INQUIRER FILE PHOTO/ALEXIS CORPUZ

The Supreme Court did not respond, opting not to comment on the President’s speech.

In what sounded like a gentle rebuke to Mr. Aquino, Bello said: “At this point, it is in the national interest for all parties to desist from confrontational language.”

Bello noted that Akbayan had been critical of DAP since it first surfaced “as we felt it was fiscal overreach on the part of the executive.”

“We believe, however, that the President acted in good faith when he approved DAP since spending on social services to stimulate the economy was necessary at the time,” he said.

On July 1, the high court ruled that certain acts and practices under the DAP were unconstitutional, including the release of savings of the executive branch to other agencies, as well as the funding of projects not listed in the General Appropriations Act, or the national budget.

That ruling sparked moves for the impeachment of Mr. Aquino and the filing of charges against Budget Secretary Florencio Abad, who tendered his resignation last week. But the President turned it down, insisting that Abad had not done anything wrong in pushing for the DAP.

Bello said he felt that the best way forward was “for Congress to pass our budget reform bills that will definitively keep the power of the purse with Congress and clip the executive’s fiscal powers, thus preserving the separation of powers.”

As for Abad’s resignation, he said: “My sense is that that is really up to him to decide and insist on with appropriate attention to considerations of honor, decency, and the future of this administration’s reform program. It is a hard decision, that is all I can say.”

“If in his heart of hearts, he feels that he has become a hindrance to the fulfillment of the President’s reform program, as many seem to think, then he must act accordingly. It’s a lonely decision, and I’m afraid the rest of us can do little to help him in this matter.”

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