Senate withholds funds from JPE, Bong, Jinggoy's offices

MANILA, Philippine - About P18 million in combined monthly operational funds for the offices of detained Sens. Juan Ponce Enrile, Jinggoy Estrada and Ramon Revilla Jr. have been held under the control of the Senate leadership for the 90-day coverage of their suspension by the Sandiganbayan.

During the 90-day suspension, the Office of the Senate Secretary under lawyer Oscar Yabes will handle the senators’ funds, including their respective salaries.

Senate President Franklin Drilon has directed the Senate secretariat to take over the functions of the three senators with regard to the handling of about P 2-million-a-month operational budget of each of the offices. 

In the 90 days or three months covering the suspension, the total amount involved is P 18 million for the three suspended senators.

“The Office of the Secretary will take over the disposition of the funds of the three senators in the meantime that they are suspended,” a source said on Tuesday.

Estrada, Enrile and Revilla are also prevented from making “cash advances” since they might be able to tap their budgets while suspended from office, the source added.

Based on the previous reports of the Commission on Audit (COA), each senator can tap between P40 million and P60 million every year for their salaries, benefts, travel expenses, rentals for offices, professional/consultancy fees, extraordinary and miscellaneous expenses as well as other miscellaneous and operating expenditures.

The amounts vary from regular senators to those handling top posts such as the seats of the Senate president, Senate president pro-tempore, majority and minority leaders.

Each senator also gets a uniform amount of P 2 million for chairmanships of the various chairmanship of Senate committees, as well as emoluments as members of the Commission of Appointments.