House seeks Diokno’s ouster over R75-B ‘pork’; Duterte still trusts him – Palace
The House of Representatives last night unanimously adopted a resolution urging President Duterte to fire Budget Secretary Benjamin Diokno over alleged “executive pork insertions.”
Majority Leader Rolando Andaya Jr. (PDP-Laban, Camarines Sur) disclosed that much of the contracts for the
alleged “executive pork” amounting to R75 billion have apparently been bid out, with at least 30 infrastructure projects already cornered by a lone contractor long before Congress could pass the proposed 2019 national budget.
“Whereas during the Question Hour, the issue on the augmentation in the budget of the Department of Public Works and Highways without the DPWH secretary’s knowledge and consent, remains unresolved,” House Resolution No. 2365 stated.
Authored by Minority Leader and Quezon Rep. Danilo Suarez, HR 2365 resolved to “urge His Excellency Rodrigo Roa Duterte, to reconsider the appointment of Hon. Benjamin Diokno as Secretary of the Department of Budget and Management (DBM).”
Diokno still trusted
Despite the allegations, Presidential spokesperson Salvador Panelo said Diokno still enjoys the full trust and confidence of President Duterte.
Nevertheless, Malacañang will investigate the allegation that only one contractor secured 30 infrastructure projects even if the R3.575-trillion proposed 2019 budget has yet to be approved.
“Yes, of course. We will go to the bottom of this. [Budget] Secretary [Ben] Diokno has denied any involvement in the allegation made by Congressman Andaya,” Panelo said.
Suarez, who also authored the resolution calling for the holding of a Question Hour, chided Diokno in connection with findings of the Lower House that the Cabinet official’s in-laws received huge chunks of project allotments under the 2019 General Appropriations Act.
He aired “doubts as to” the integrity of Diokno, and “use of his position in accommodating and merging family with public interests.”
Suarez accused Diokno of being behind the awarding of numerous public works contracts to the C.T. Leoncio Construction and Trading Corporation, a single-proprietorship firm that is based in Bulacan.
The company was able to win biddings for the 30 flood control projects in Sorsogon and Catanduanes although these two provinces are not included in the priority list of areas needing anti-flood infrastructure.
Suarez insisted that Diokno had a hand in the awarding of P3.5 billion contracts for flood control projects in congressional districts in Sorsogon and Catanduanes.
“What makes it more questionable is that the projects are worth roughly R3.5 billion in total. In a province with 790 thousand population and 2,000 square kilometer area, this amount is incommensurate,” said Suarez.
“Kung ako si Diokno, magre-resign na ako (If I were Diokno, I will resign),” he said.
Suarez also disclosed that the Lower House will propose the re-alignment of R24 billion in public works projects not approved by the DPWH but nonetheless included in the proposed 2019 budget.
“Secretary Diokno also was not able to explain how one sole proprietorship construction company was able to obtain numerous projects from the government in Sorsogon amounting to billions of pesos,” Suarez said.
Andaya said Sorsogon received R10 billion in infrastructure allocation this year and is due to receive at least R6 billion in 2019.
Earlier, Suarez alleged that Diokno influenced the approval of R2.8-billion infrastructure projects in Casiguran, Sorsogon in 2018 because his daughter is married to the son of Sorsogon Vice Governor Ester Hamor and Casiguran Mayor Edwin Hamor.
“Since there is allegation of corruption, it follows that we have to investigate,” Panelo said.
Panelo, however, said there is nothing wrong with pre-selecting a contractor as long as there will be no corruption.
“Kung [If] the reason is because you want to prevent the delay of projects that requires attention or implementation for the benefit of the people, eh, walang masama doon (then there’s nothing wrong with that),” Panelo said.
“Ang ayaw natin kung may corruption. ‘Yun ang bottom line (What we hate to see is if there is corruption. That is the bottom line),” he added.
But Panelo said Diokno is a man of integrity and the Palace believes him.
“Mr. Diokno is known to be the ‘Mr. No.’ Meaning, he is a man of integrity,” Panelo said.
“So when he says he is not involved, I believe him unless you show me, as a lawyer, a competent evidence to the contrary. The presumption (is) he is a man of competence and integrity,” he added.
Duterte unaware of ‘pork’
Panelo also assured that the President has no knowledge of the said allegations as he leaves the decision-making to his appointees.
Even Andaya said President Duterte is apparently unaware of the R75 billion that Diokno revealed. This indicated that the DBM had misled the Chief Executive about important details of the R3.575 trillion national budget for 2019.
“He will not interfere in any branch of the government nor even in the departments of the executive but he will make people in those departments accountable when there is corruption being done undertaken by any of the departments,” Panelo stressed.
“So that’s very clear. He has not interfered and he will not. He will only come in when there is corruption,” he added.
“His principle is you follow the law, you violate it, you will account for it. You engage in corruption, then you will be fired,” he continued.
In a press conference, Andaya said the DBM has been enforcing a memorandum circular issued in 2010 that allows departments to conduct biddings for projects ahead of the budget approval.
“Kaya ayaw nila ipabago ang budget. Hindi pa nga naibibigay sa amin ang proposed budget, tapos na ang boksing (This is the reason they do not want the budget amended. The bidding has been completed even before the proposed budget could be submitted),” Andaya said. R75 B ‘insertion’
During the Question Hour last Tuesday, Diokno admitted that instead of R51 billion that congressmen claimed to be part of “parked pork barrel,” the DBM earmarked R75 billion for infrastructure projects that did not get DPWH recommendation. Diokno, however, denied there was an “insertion” as the allocation of funds passed through the legal process.
Suarez said the House was able to realign the P51 billion previously discovered by the Lower House leadership but the remaining R24 billion will still have to be reallocated.
Special session
Diokno on Wednesday said he would ask the President to recommend to Congress to hold a special session to deliberate on the 2019 budget. This was after Senate Majority Leader Juan Miguel Zubiri said they could no longer finish deliberations on the General Appropriations Bill since they are set to adjourn this week for the holidays.
“Even if we are called to a special session next week, we don’t have enough time for amendments and more so for a Bicam[eral conference committee],” Senate President Vicente Sotto III told reporters in a text message.
“At this point, it’s really January with or without a special session,” he added.