Palace on House appeal vs Diokno: Live and let live
Malacañang is expecting that the House of Representatives would respect President Duterte’s decision about his appointees, as the Chief Executive does not interfere with the affairs of the legislative branch
Presidential Spokesman Salvador Panelo made the statement after the House of Representatives adopted House Resolution No. 2365, urging Duterte to fire Budget Secretary Benjamin Diokno for various allegations linked to him in the proposed R3.575 trillion 2019 budget.
“In the same manner that the President doesn’t tell Congress who it will choose as its officers and how to go about it, we wish that its members return the same courtesy,” he said Thursday.
Trusted Diokno
Despite the allegations of favoring and insertions in the budget being hurled against Diokno, Panelo said that the President still trusts his budget secretary.
“While we respect House Resolution No. 2365 which urges the Office of the President to reconsider the appointment of Department of Budget and Management (DBM) Secretary Benjamin Diokno as an expression of sentiment from a separate branch of the government, we similarly wish to express that the President continues to trust the Budget Secretary and the confidence reposed on him remains unimpaired,” he said.
Best, brightest
He also described Diokno as one of the best and brightest in Duterte’s Cabinet and that the budget department head’s record is unblemished.
“As one of the administration’s economic managers, PRRD considers him as one of the best and brightest in his official family. Sec. Diokno’s reputation as an upright, competent and honest public servant stays solid up to this day,” Panelo added.
House role on budget
The Palace official then reminded the House that it is their job to scrutinize and fix the budget in case they find any irregularity.
“Congress, to which the power of the purse rightfully belongs, has the constitutional duty to scrutinize the budget and even has the power to revise or amend proposals found in it,” Panelo said.
“Should it feel that there was irregularity in the allocation of the budget, it can always correct it apart from having the option of recommending the filing of charges against those they deem are responsible for the transgressions should the same amount to a crime,” he added.
‘Insertions’
House Majority Leader Rolando Andaya Jr. disclosed that much of the contracts for the alleged R75-billion “executive pork insertions have apparently been bid out, with at least 30 infrastructures projects already given to a lone contractor long before the budget could be passed by the Congress.
House Minority Leader Danilo Suarez also accused Diokno of influencing 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.
Panelo earlier said that Diokno is a man of integrity and that those who accuse him should present evidence to the contrary.