Trillanes wants PCOO probed for fund ‘misuse’

Sen. Antonio Trillanes IV has called for an inquiry into the Presidential Communications Operations Office (PCOO)’s use of its budget for 2017, particularly on its awareness campaign on the Association of Southeast Asian Nations (ASEAN).

In Senate Resolution 735 he filed yesterday, Trillanes cited a news report that claimed the Commission on Audit (COA) found anomalies in the use of the PCOO’s committee on media affairs and strategic communications’ P647.11 million for the information caravan on ASEAN.

“Said news report has yet to be officially validated by the COA. Nonetheless, there is still a need for PCOO to explain publicly the disbursement of the said funds,” the resolution stated.

“There is an immediate need to look into the alleged irregularities in the disposition of PCOO’s budget and its irregular expenditures for the aforementioned information caravan in order to ensure that government funds are legally and properly allocated, directed and spent towards the sole purpose for which the funds were allocated,” it added.

Apart from the P647 million for the information caravan, Trillanes said he will also look into how the PCOO used its P1.4 billion in confidential and intelligence funds for 2017.

According to Trillanes, he has information about these funds being used to finance the administration’s trolls on social media.

Asked if he had any documents to support his claims, Trillanes said that he would just let the PCOO bring these out during the hearings.