Duterte to raise funds for PDP-Laban bets
The Chief Executive made the controversial pronouncement to assure the ruling PDP-Laban that he would ‘raise’ funds from private individuals for the candidacies of his partymates
Malacañang on Monday defended President Rodrigo Duterte from criticisms over his remark that he would bring “sacks of money” on the campaign trail of his allies, saying he would not use public funds for the candidacy of the administration candidates.
Presidential spokesperson Secretary Harry Roque said the Chief Executive made the controversial pronouncement to assure the ruling PDP-Laban that he would “raise” funds from private individuals for the candidacies of his partymates.
“That is what the President meant. It’s an assurance for his partymates that not only will he physically campaign for them, but also raise funds for them,” he said in a televised briefing. “And that is not prohibited by the Constitution or the Omnibus Election Code.”
Roque added that the Chief Executive recognizes that he could not utilize the government coffers for election activities.
The Omnibus Election Code, or the law governing the conduct of elections and campaigning, prohibits the use of public funds or government resources for any electoral campaign.
“Of course, he (Duterte) knows it’s illegal to use public funds for partisan purposes,” Roque told reporters.
His defense of the President came after some lawmakers slammed Duterte over his controversial pronouncement.
Duterte’s ‘boastful’ remark showed his clique is creating an ‘enormous war chest’ in the run-up for the May 2022 elections using public funds and resources.
Earlier in the day, Bayan Muna Rep. Carlos Zarate said Duterte’s “boastful” remark showed his clique is creating an “enormous war chest” in the run-up for the May 2022 elections using public funds and resources.
Zarate said the funds PDP-Laban might use may include the P16.4 billion Barangay Development Fund lodged under the anti-insurgency task force and the P4.5 billion confidential and intelligence funds under Duterte’s office.
Special purpose funds
He also noted that Duterte also has a whopping P617-billion special purpose funds under the national budget, referring to lump-sum allocations that do not have particular allocation details. Unobligated funds, meanwhile, were pegged at P178 billion.
Zarate also raised concerns over the slow disbursement of some agencies like the Philippine National Police and the Armed Forces of the Philippines, floating the likelihood their funds might also be used for Duterte’s allies.
“This wanton, shameless, and wholesale plunder of taxpayers’ money should end especially in this time of the Covid-19 pandemic,” he said.
The Omnibus Election Code, or the law governing the conduct of elections and campaigning, prohibits the use of public funds or government resources for any electoral campaign.
The issue stemmed from Duterte’s remark on Saturday during the national assembly of some 280 members of PDP-Laban in Clark, Pampanga.
“Those running for elections, I will campaign for you, city to city, it’s true... I will really go, city to city, province to province, I will campaign for you. And I will bring lots of money. In sacks, if there are,” said Duterte, who is also chair of PDP-Laban.
The 76-year-old President also expressed his intention to run for vice president in the next year’s elections to supposedly acquire legal immunity to protect him from potential lawsuits.
While there is no provision in the 1987 Constitution stating such, Roque said the President’s pronouncement was an “opportunity to provoke jurisprudence.”
Duterte’s remarks were triggered by the formal request last month of retired International Criminal Court prosecutor Fatou Bensouda to the court’s pre-trial chamber to open a full investigation on the alleged crimes against humanity committed by state forces during the bloody war on drugs.
He also claimed that former senator Antonio Trillanes IV and retired Supreme Court Senior Associate Justice Antonio Carpio have been threatening him with charges once his presidential term is over.
PDP-Laban members led by Energy Secretary Alfonso Cusi were urging Duterte to pursue the vice presidency to continue the dominance of the party in the 2022 elections.
Their members, many of whom are national and local politicians, are banking on Duterte’s popularity to fuel their own electoral victories.