Negros Occ solon assails DBM probe on PDAF projs

BACOLOD CITY, Philippines - — A congressman, allied with President Aquino, has questioned the action of the Department of Budget and Management (DBM) in asking local government units for status reports of projects funded by the Priority Development Assistance Fund (PDAF) of  lawmakers from 2010 to 2013.

“Strange why DBM will ask it from the LGUs. They should know what the status is since the executive branch implements it, unless it’s those PDAF projects that are being implemented by the LGUs,” said Rep. Alfredo Abelardo Benitez (3rd district, Negros Occ.) in a text message to The Freeman yesterday.

Benitez, chairman of the Liberal Party in Negros Occidental, agreed however that the status report “should also be presented to the public for transparency.” The congressman had allocated P33.4 million worth of projects to Negros Occidental using his PDAF from 2010 to 2013.

In an interview over Bombo Radyo-Bacolod yesterday, DBM-Western Visayas regional director Alfonso Bedonia Jr. said he has written to all provincial, city, and municipal governments requesting them to submit a status report on PDAF-funded projects from June 2010 to October 2013.

Bedonia said it is part of DBM’s oversight function to determine the status of the projects and to “capture the utilization of national funds from 2010 to 2013.” If you noticed, in the past, we have not received reports from the LGUs how they spent the fund releases chargeable from the PDAF and other subsidies from the national government, he added.

Since the time the Supreme Court declared PDAF was unconstitutional, it has not been clear to the DBM if such covers the PDAF already released to, but was yet unspent by, the LGUs, said Bedonia. “We wanted to see the data on these status reports so when the SC decision is already clarified for us, we will give the status report to the DBM central office so it can advice the LGUs on what to do,” he said.

The LGUs were given until today, Nov. 30, to submit the status reports of the projects, and if they failed to do so, Bedonia said the DBM staff will personally go to the sites of  the projects and make a report themselves. Out of these reports, the DBM will then monitor the projects if these actually went to the beneficiaries.

Bedonia asked Negros Occidental Gov. Alfredo Marañon Jr. to submit a status report on the P184.1-million projects in Negros Occidental, and also to Bacolod City Mayor Monico Puentevella on the P61.6 million projects, funded from the PDAF of lawmakers, from January 1, 2010 to October 31, this year.

Provincial Accountant Merly Fortu yesterday said she has submitted yesterday afternoon the status report to the governor, adding that all the projects that went through the Capitol have been accounted for and were released to the intended beneficiaries. “It is now up to the DBM to countercheck it with the beneficiaries,” she said.

Bayan Muna party-list Rep. Neri Colmenares, who allocated P500,000 worth of projects in Bacolod, said in a text message to The Freeman: “I’m sure the (Bacolod) city implemented these projects legitimately but it’s always good that there is verification by DBM or COA.”

He added: “All LGUs should prove that the projects that they requested from senators and congressmen are really existent.”  (FREEMAN)