A LAWMAKER on Friday, January 5, accused Commission on Higher Education (Ched) chairperson Patricia Licuanan of making eight foreign trips in 2017 and approving these trips that she herself had requested.
Puwersa ng Bayaning Atleta Partylist Rep. Jericho Nograles said this is in violation of Executive Order 456 series of 2005 which provides that all Cabinet officials should secure their travel authority from the Office of the President.
Nograles alleged that Licuanan delegated herself as the approving authority for her own requests for "Authority to Travel Abroad" in these occasions:
Based on the documents that he obtained, Nograles said at least P893,102 in government funds was spent in all these travels.
He noted that for just one month in June 2017, Licuanan "crisscrossed" the globe by travelling to California, USA, France and Germany.
All travels in the said month were listed as official business trips.
Nograles said it is immaterial that the trips were required. He stressed that the law requires any official to secure the approval of the President.
"The fact that the requesting official is also the approving official is already irregular. What makes it illegal is that there is a violation of an EO which requires Chair Licuanan to secure her Travel Authority from the Office of the President. She should have sought either the approval of the Executive Secretary or the President himself," Nograles said.
President Rodirgo Duterte recently sacked Maritime Industry Authority (Marina) administrator Marcial “Al” Amaro III for his "excessive" foreign travels.
Others who were sacked for the same "offense" were Presidential Commission for the Urban Poor chief Terry Ridon, Dangerous Drugs Board head Dionisio Santiago and Development Academy of the Philippines president Elba Cruz.
Duterte has repeatedly appealed to government officials to live modestly in his efforts to rid government of corruption. (SunStar Philippines)
