Via GMA News Miriam, Bongbong in DBM’s new list of DAP recipients By ANDREO CALONZO, GMA NewsSeptember 17, 2014 The Department of Budget and Management has identified 19 incumbent senators as endorsers of projects under the Aquino administrations Disbursement Acceleration Program, which the Supreme Court declared as partially unconstitutional. The DBMs latest list included Senators Miriam Defensor Santiago and Ferdinand Bongbong Marcos, who were previously left out when Budget Secretary Florencio Abad first came out in 2013 with a list of senators that received DAP allocations for certain projects. Abad came out with the new list after opposition leader Navotas Representative Tobias Tiangco in the course of the budget deliberations in the House of Representatives sought from the secretary a detailed report on the billions of pesos the Aquino administration released under the DAP. The House is in the middle of plenary deliberations on the proposed P2.6-trillion 2015 national budget. The following senators names appeared in the 139-page DBMs new list of DAP-funded projects: - Antonio Trillanes IV, - Ramon Revilla Jr., - Loren Legarda, - Jinggoy Estrada, - Alan Peter Cayetano, - Ralph Recto, - Aquilino Koko Pimentel III, - Vicente Tito Sotto III, - Teofisto Guingona III, - Sergio Osmeña III, - Juan Ponce Enrile, - Franklin Drilon, - Gringo Honasan, - Francis Escudero, - Pia Cayetano, - Ferdinand Bongbong Marcos Jr., - Miriam Defensor-Santiago and - Juan Edgardo Angara (then Aurora congressman). - Lito Lapid Four former senators were also named by the DBM as endorsers of DAP projects. They are Manuel Villar, Francis Pangilinan, Edgardo Angara and Joker Arroyo. Marcos in February denied receiving DAP allocations after a newspaper reported that he did during the impeachment trial of then Chief Justice Renato Corona in 2012. The office of Santiago told GMA News Online that the senator will soon issue a statement on the matter. Santiago is on an extended sick leave from the Senate due to lung cancer and chronic fatigue. The latest DAP list identified the name of every project, the implementing agency involved, the details of the special allotment release order (SARO), program of activities and the status of the respective projects. Abad urged the public to carefully examine the more detailed list of DAP-funded projects. “Although combing through all the projects took some time, we believed that the fidelity of our data could not be compromised in favor of speed. We now urge the Filipino people to scrutinize the list carefully, the budget chief said. DAP and the Corona impeachment The DAP started making headlines a year ago after opposition Senator Jinggoy Estrada bared during a privilege speech in 2013 that he and other senators who favored the conviction of Chief Justice Renato Corona each received at least P50 million in additional funds months after the impeachment trial. Estrada delivered the privilege speech in the middle of the pork barrel scam controversy. He said the authorities had singled out him, Enrile and Revilla in connection with alleged misuse of allocations under the Priority Development Assistance Fund. The three senators are now facing plunder and graft charges in connection with the P10-billion pork barrel scam. In response to Estradas speech, Abad said the additional funds were released under the administrationss DAP. The budget secretary denied that the DAP was used to bribe senators. He maintained the stimulus program was meant to boost government spending and economic growth. Abad said then that Marcos and Santiago did not request funding support for projects in 2012, but the latest list showed they endorsed DAP projects. Marcos, Santiago and Arroyo were the only senators that voted against the conviction of Corona in the Senate impeachment court. DAP funds released as early as 2011 The new DBM list indicated that fund releases for some DAP projects identified by these senators were approved starting late 2011. It showed that senators continued endorsing DAP projects until early 2013. The younger Angaras name appeared only once under a project for Reserva, Baler—funds for which were later realigned, according to the DBM document. Last July, the Supreme Court struck down certain acts under the DAP as unconstitutional. The high courts ruling is under appeal by the executive. A total of P144.3 billion of public funds were utilized by the government under the DAP. The DBM earlier released a list of 116 projects that were funded under the DAP. Some of the items in the list, however, were lumped together funds for infrastructure and local government projects that were requested by lawmakers and national government agencies. Even before the release of the detailed DAP list, some senators like Drilon and Trillanes already gave details on projects they endorsed under the controversial spending program. —NB, GMA News MC
Posted on: Thu, 18 Sep 2014 16:14:43 +0000