Bigger PCOO budget justified?

Dear Chair Karlo Alexei B. Nograles of the Committee on Appropriations, House of Representatives. We members of the media and Let’s Organize for Democracy and Integrity, are writing to you to pose our questions and objections to the proposed 2019 appropriations of the Presidential Communications Operations Office.

Basically, the PCOO is asking for a raise despite many unresolved issues for the current and the past year: From P1.38-billion in 2018, the agency now wants to receive a budget of P1.41-billion.

We wish to ask the committee to use a fine-toothed comb to check and double check the proposed 2019 budget of the PCOO, and compare it with the 2017 and 2018 budgets.

Mr. Chairman, we wish to raise the following questions, and hope that through you and other committee members, we and the public get forthright answers from the PCOO:

1. What is the PCOO’s response, if any, to the findings of the Commission on Audit regarding P38.8-million in questionable terms expenses related to the 2017 Philippine hosting of the ASEAN Summit.

For instance, the PCOO approved disbursements of P4.04-million for the rental or lease of it equipment, although the same could have cost P946,872 if bought by the government.

The purchase of handmade soap for a price beyond the budget of P758,0002.

2. Can the PCOO also please explain to Congress the details behind the increase of its expenses for foreign travel? It spiked from P15.12-million in 2016 to P42.36-million in 2017. Domestic travel expenses by the PCOO also grew by leaps and bounds: P14.99-million in 2016, to P119.62 in 2017.

3. What is the status of the Social Media Accreditation Policy of the PCOO? How many social media practitioners and bloggers have applied for and were granted accreditation by the officer-in-charge, Assistant Secretary Mocha Uson? Who are these social media practitioners and bloggers who have been accredited by the PCOO?

4. Last August, Assistant Secretary Uson drew widespread criticism for a video showing her and a certain Drew Olivar singing and dancing “Pepederalismo”. Did the PCOO approve it? Where exactly was the video taken? Was it taken in the PCOO premises? Were public servants made to take and edit the video? Whose phone was used for taking the video? Is that phone and the mobile internet service for that phone paid for by taxpayers?

5. Last June 2018, the PCOO erroneously referred to Senator Sherwin Gatchalian as “Winston Gatchalian”. Who was responsible for this and what steps were taken about it?

6. Also last June 2018, the PCOO erroneously referred to former Congressman Roilo Golez as “Rogelio Golez” in a press release about the president’s visit to the wake of the former Member of Congress. Who was responsible for this and what steps were taken about it?

We raise these concerns because they pertain to public offices which, according to our Constitution, are a public trust. Taxpayers bear the burden of paying for the PCOO’s work, whether it is done, not done, or not done well by the agency. It is the right of citizens to ask questions and a duty of Congress to do the same as the representatives of our people.

We look forward to your help in raising these questions to the PCOO as their proposed 2019 budget goes through committee deliberations and in the plenary.

Let’s Organize for Democracy and Integrity alliance