SC votes unanimously: DAP unconstitutional MANILA, Philippines -- (UPDATE 2 - 1:59 p.m.) Members of the Supreme Court handed President Benigno Aquino III a resounding setback on Tuesday, voting unanimously to declare the Disbursement Acceleration Program (DAP) unconstitutional. Among the unconstitutional provisions of what critics have called the presidential pork barrel, according to the high court, are the withdrawl of un-obligated funds and their declaration as savings, the funding of projects, activities and programs not covered by the General Appropriations Act, and the cross-border transfer of savings by the executive branch. The tribunal said these were in violation of Section 25(5) of Article VI of the 1987 Constitution and the doctrine of separation of powers. The ruling also declares void the use of unprogrammed funds despite the absence of a certification by the National Treasurer that the revenue collections exceeded the revenue targets for non-compliance with the conditions provided in the relevant General Appropriations Act. Oppositors to DAP called it worse than the pork barrel scam involving Janet Lim-Napoles and at least the three senators, Juan Ponce-Enrile, Ramon Bong Revilla Jr., and Jose Jinggoy Estrada. But the administration has defended it, saying it helped pump the economy through increased public spending.
Posted on: Tue, 01 Jul 2014 06:26:49 +0000
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