THE House of Representatives will summon Department of Budget and Management (DBM) Secretary Benjamin Diokno over the alleged irregularities in the implementation of the 2018 budget and the proposed 2019 budget.
The investigation will be conducted through House Resolution No. 2307, or the “Resolution Urging the House of Representatives to Require the Appearance and Participation of Department of Budget and Management in the Question Hour regarding the 2019 Election Budget,” which was filed by House Minority Leader Danilo Suarez.
During plenary session on Wednesday, November 21, the House of Representatives referred the said resolution to the House committee on rules.
Suarez, in a press conference on Wednesday,expressed concerns that the people’s money might be used for the campaign of members of the administration.
“(The year) 2019 is an election year. The Minority is concerned that the people’s purse might be used for personal campaigns of candidates and re-electionists, instead of its true public purpose,” he said.
“Hence, we, members of the Minority call on the DBM to appear before the House to explain and correct the irregularities in the implementation of the 2018 budget and in the proposed 2019 budget,” he added.
The bloc also asked the DBM to explain the P50-billion budget inserted in the 2019 General Appropriations Bill and how the 2018 budget was utilized, including the undeclared savings and unaccounted expenses.
“The Department of Budget and Management remains aloof on the call of Congress to answer inquiries pursuant to its oversight functions,” said Suarez.
“The Minority is curious by this exhibited disinterest by the DBM. The DBM, as the line agency of the executive in charge of the national fiscal policies and programs, should be working closely with Congress in the enactment of the budget. Instead of being cooperative, it becomes a hindrance to the supposed transparency of the budget and the government,” lamented Suarez.
The Minority bloc slammed anew the DBM over the billions worth underspending by the government and reiterated its call to the agency to accelerate spending and to the government agencies to expedite the implementation of government projects as the end of the year nears.
The bloc earlier manifested that as of August 2018, the government had spent only P2.19 trillion out of the P3.767-trillion national budget.
This merely amounts to almost 60 percent of the budget, they said. (SunStar Philippines)