Solon: Comelec execs ‘grossly insensitive’

Officials of the Commission on Elections (Comelec), led by Chairman Benjamin Abalos, were accused yesterday of defying President Arroyo’s call for austerity and of being insensitive to the state of the government’s finances.

They reaped the accusations after admitting that they purchased seven luxury vehicles worth a total of about P8.5 million.

"It is gross insensitivity when officials splurge on new vehicles when they know that the government is nursing a huge budget deficit," said Rep. Rolando Andaya Jr. (Lakas, Camarines Sur).

"There is no defense for this extravagance," said Andaya, who chairs the House appropriations committee, the panel that writes the annual budget law.

He said what makes the decision of Comelec officials more abominable is the fact that the new vehicles were just in addition to several cars that they have already assigned to themselves.

Based on published reports, he said Abalos is assigned two vehicles, while the other Comelec commissioners have three to four official cars.

While Andaya conceded that the poll body has fiscal autonomy, its officials should heed the President’s call for austerity and should follow Malacañang’s guidelines on how the government can save money.

Another Lakas lawmaker, Rep. Jose Apolinario Lozada Jr. of Negros Occidental, said he was appalled to learn that Abalos and his colleagues have just gifted themselves with new vehicles.

"It is highly immoral that while millions of our people could barely eat three times a day, some government officials can buy for themselves luxury vehicles using taxpayers’ money," he said.

Lozada urged all state agencies to postpone vehicle purchases and foreign travels.

Other congressmen accused the Comelec of sabotaging the President’s anti-illegal gambling campaign by sitting on the request of the Philippine National Police to replace seven officers who have failed to curb jueteng in their respective turfs.