Wednesday, December 19, 2007
Editorials: In aid of legislation
ONE of the most used or abused jargons in the operation of both houses of Congress is the phrase “In Aid of Legislation.”
It is also probably one of the most financially “rewarding” phrases in the lawmakers’ employ.
It is used, not only to justify release of funds for various purposes, but also to fund all sorts of probes and inquiries into various political questions, problems, and issues encountered in the legislative process.
The phrase is decidedly in all vouchers credited to the offices of all members of Congress, and individually signed by them acknowledging the veracity of the expense in their name or in their office, for the sole purpose of facilitating the legislative operation. Indeed, all financial transactions in each congressional office, unless otherwise expressly stated on the face of the vouchers, are in support for the passage of laws.
Thus, all services rendered for various activities of Senate or House members that entail financial expense are considered done in “aid of legislation.” When the senator or representative travels officially to any place outside the country, all of his expenses form part of the cost in aid of legislation. Hence, all the expenses necessary for the travel made as such, comes from the account set aside for the activity.
The voucher, of course, is subject to liquidation later on. If the cost of such travel is covered with receipts falling under justifiable expenses that the auditors of the Commission on Audit has set in a guideline, and shall find allowable, there won’t be any problem in the liquidation. The justifiable expenses include transportation roundtrip fares, in a boat, a plane, bus or train. There is fixed gasoline allowance for personal cars.
Likewise, all other expenses covered with receipts from hotels, restaurants, taxi fares, as well as items bought and given as public relations gift, could pass as legitimate expense “in aid of…” and may be liquidated. There is, of course, a fixed daily per diem allowance for the official to use at will personally. It is not subject to detailed accounting. However, anyone who has worked in Congress knows the tricks and byways of liquidation.
The point is that, lately, critics of both houses of Congress, either from the Left, the Right, or the Center, have grossly assailed the obvious indulgence of the members to their respective political interest, grandly neglecting the “greater interest of country and people.” The clear implication of the criticism is that the lawmakers are obviously using public funds supposedly “in aid of legislation,” to push their respective political agenda.
What seems clear here is that, looking ahead into the future, members of the Senate or the House who have their respective political agenda for 2010, are already realigning pet programs in support of their personal agenda, at the cost of the national interest, and under the expense of public funds under the guise of “being in aid of legislation.”
For Bisaya stories from Cebu. Click here. (December 19, 2007 issue)
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