Umaabot sa P50 bilyong pondo ang nakatengga dahil sa pakana umano ni Department of Budget and Management (DBM) Secretary Benjamin Diokno.
Ayon kay House Committee on Appropriations Chairman at Camarines Sur Rep. Rolando Andaya, nadiskubre ng Commission on Audit (COA) na ang P50 bilyon ay nakatiwangwang lang at hindi nagagasta matapos ilipat ni Diokno ang pondo sa DBM-Procurement Service (PS) at Department of Trade and Industry (DTI).
Binanggit ni Andaya na ang P4.6 bilyong hindi nagagalaw na pondo na isinalin sa DBM-PS ay galing sa Philippine National Police (PNP) habang ang P2.4 bilyon naman ang mula sa Department of Education (DepEd).
“Ang daming pangangailangan ng PNP at DepEd, hindi naman pala nagagamit ang bilyong pondo nila at nakatago lang ito sa DBM-PS. Dapat nagagamit na ang mga pondong ito para sa ikabubuti ng serbisyo ng ating mga pulis at titser,” pahayag ni Andaya.
“Officials of the Commission on Audit revealed that at least P17 billion of public funds transferred by other departments to the DBM-Procurement Service remain idle and unaudited as of December 2018. Another P31.6 billion is lying idle for years in the Philippine International Trading Corp., an attached office of Department of Trade and Industry (DTI), also from the transfer of funds from other departments and agencies,” paliwanag ng House leader.
Binanggit ni Andaya na lumitaw sa kanilang pag-iimbestiga na ang pinakamalaking contributor sa “idle inter-agency fund transfers” (IAFTs) ng DBM-PS ay ang National Government Agencies (P16.6 billion), na sinundan ng Government Owned and Controlled Corporations (P426.5 million), at Local Government Units (P49.8 million).
“What is significant in the IATFs of DBM-PS…is the number of years that the funds remain unused. He disclosed that P1.5 billion remain unused for more than five years; P2.6 billion for four to five years; P3.5 billion for three to four years; P4.7 billion for two to three years; P2.6 billion for one to two years; and P1.1 billion for one year and below,” ani Andaya.
Naisalin ang pondo ayon kay Andaya bunsod ng ginawang pagbabago ni Diokno sa implementing rules and regulations (IRR) ng Government Procurement Reform Act na nagbigay-daan para diumano’y maging “super-bidding body” ang DBM.
“An estimated P50 billion in public funds has accumulated in two little-known government offices and remain unused for one to five years, thanks to revisions inserted by DBM Sec. Benjamin Diokno in the Implementing Rules for procurement,” ayon pa kay Andaya.
Kaugnay nito, matatandaan na paulit-ulit nang itinanggi ni Diokno ang mga ipinupukol na alegasyon ni Andaya laban sa kanya. (Aries Cano)