Abad at Relampagos ‘utak’ ng DAP funds - Ombudsman

MANILA, Philippines – Nainguso ng tanggapan ng Ombudsman na sina Department of Budget and Management (DBM) Secretary Florencio “Butch” Abad at Undersecretary Mario Relampagos ang utak umano ng pagmamaniobra sa Disbursement Acceleration Program (DAP) funds.

Ito ang lumabas sa resulta ng fact-finding investigation ng  Field Investigation Office ng Ombudsman hinggil sa pagpapalabas ng pondo at paggamit ng DAP funds mula 2011 hanggang 2012.

“Secretary Abad and Relampagos authorized the DAP sourced from pooled savings as “a plan to boost disbursements” and “to jumpstart the implementation” of the government’s expenditure program. As authorized, the DAP projects were identified based on their “multiplier impact on the economy and infrastructure benefit, beneficial effect on the poor and translation into disbursements,” nakaasaad sa FIO report ng Ombudsman.

“Documents noted irregularities in the cross border DAP transfer transactions to the Commission on Audit (COA) and the House of Representatives (HOR). From the total P31.9B DAP funds, the amount of P250 million was released to the HOR for the construction of its legislative library and archive building/congressional e-library.  Field investigators noted, however, that the HOR project “is not among those approved by the President,” ayon pa sa FIO report.

Samantala, may kabuuang P143.7 milyon ang naipalabas ng DBM sa COA para pondohan ang IT infrastructure program ng ahensiya at pagkuha ng dagdag na litigation experts batay sa nakasaad sa naaprubahang  Special Allotment Release Order (SARO).

Sinasabing inihanda at pinirmahan ni Abad ang lahat ng memoranda at issuances na may kinalaman sa DAP implementation habang si Relampagos ay lumagda sa SAROs para sa COA at HOR.

Kaugnay nito, inerekomenda naman ng FIO na ang usapin sa paggamit ng pondo para sa mga DAP projects sa  Executive department ay kailangan munang pabusisi sa COA para sa special audit.