MANILA, Philippines - An opposition leader in the House of Representatives wondered yesterday where Secretary Ricky Carandang and his staff, including the now controversial Assistant Secretary Carmen Mislang, are getting their funds.
Nueva Vizcaya Rep. Carlos Padilla said he would like to know where Carandang and Mislang charged their travel expenses, including hotel accommodations, when they accompanied President Arroyo in his trip to Vietnam last week.
“Their office does not have funds in the 2010 budget, and I don’t think the President could appropriate money for them because the power of appropriation belongs to Congress,” he said.
However, Padilla, a senior deputy minority leader, conceded that Mr. Aquino could use savings, if any, to augment items of expenditure specified in the national budget.
However, he said he did not know how the expenses of Carandang and his staff could be covered by existing appropriations.
“They could include those in generic expenditure items like travel and support services,” he added.
Carandang heads the Presidential Communications Development and Strategic Planning Office, where Mislang, a presidential speechwriter, is an assistant secretary.
During Mr. Aquino’s Vietnam trip, Mislang commented in a social networking site that the wine served by the hosts “sucks.”
She has since reportedly apologized for her embarrassing posting.
Mislang has received flak from other social networking site users who claimed she embarrassed not only Mr. Aquino but his gracious hosts as well.
Padilla said even in the proposed P1.645-trillion 2011 national budget that Mr. Aquino submitted to Congress, Carandang’s office does not have funds.
“They have to subsequently present an errata to give his office P50 million for next year,” he said.
“They frown upon congressional initiatives or insertions in the budget, but an errata is a Palace insertion.”
The correction, submitted by Budget Secretary Florencio Abad, also covered P83 million for the Presidential Truth Commission, which is headed by former ambassador Hilario Davide Jr.
During the House plenary debates on the budget, Malacañang officials told lawmakers that Mr. Aquino has not given any funds to the Truth Commission.
They said commission members are using their own money and would be entitled to reimbursements next year when they get their P83-million budget.
Carandang is one of the three members of the Palace communications group.
The other two are Secretary Herminio Coloma of the Palace Communications Operations Office, which replaced the Office of Press Secretary (OPS), and presidential spokesman Edwin Lacierda.
Of the three, it is Coloma who has the biggest budget. He controls nearly P1 billion as the defunct OPS had several agencies under it.
Vietnamese envoy: It’s a minor mistake
Vietnamese Ambassador Nguyen Vu Tu said yesterday Mislang’s remark on his country’s wine is a “minor” mistake that should not cover the gains of Mr. Aquino’s state visit to Hanoi last week.
“The visit of President Aquino has been very successful and this is a minor thing,” he said.
“I don’t think this minor thing should get into the way.”
Tu said he was aware of the explanation offered that the message was not meant to offend anyone. – With Pia Lee-Brago, Delon Porcalla, Christina Mendez