📷Bayan Muna Executive Vice President Carlos Isagani Zarate
Bayan Muna Executive Vice President Carlos Isagani Zarate has come to the defense of ACT Teachers Partylist Rep. France Castro amidst a wave of malicious intrigue and disinformation being spread by Vice President Sara Duterte and her supporters. Zarate criticized the attempts to undermine Rep. Castro’s legitimate role as a lawmaker and the vital oversight function she fulfills in Congress.
“Kahit ang isang first year law student ay alam niya na kapag nakaapila pa sa Court of Appeals o maging sa Supreme Court ang ano mang decision ng Regional Trial Court (RTC), hindi pa ito final at hindi pa maaaring ipatupad,” Zarate stated. “Bilang abugado alam dapat ni VP yan, kaya hindi nya puedeng gamiting dahilan ang nakaapilang kaso ni Rep. France Castro para iwasan o ayaw sagutin ang mga katanungan tungkol sa budget ng Office of the Vice President (OVP), lalo na sa usapin ng confidential funds.”
Zarate emphasized the constitutional right and duty of Rep. Castro and other congressional members to scrutinize the budget proposals of all government agencies, including the OVP. “Ayon sa Constitution at mga umiiral na batas, na dapat alam din ni VP, may karapatan si Rep. France Castro at mga miyembro ng Kongreso, bilang mga kinatawan ng mga mamamayan, na magtanong at busisiin ang mga panukalang budget ng lahat na ahensya ng pamahalaan, gaya ng OVP. Walang exempted dito.”
He further highlighted recent findings from the Commission on Audit (COA) regarding the misuse of confidential funds by the OVP.
“Matatandaan na sa kalalabas lang na report ng COA, hindi nito pinapayagan pinapasauli sa pamahalaan ang milyon-milyong (P73 million) Confidential funds na nilustay ng opisina ni VP sa loob lamang ng 11 na araw noong December 2022,” Zarate noted.
According to the COA Notice of Disallowance, at least P69 million of the P73 million disallowed involved the following: P10 million for reward payment; P34.857 million for payment of reward (various goods); and P24.93 million for payment of reward (medicines).
COA said that the OVP did not submit documents showing the success of information gathering and/or surveillance activities to support the acknowledgment receipts for around P69 million of payments of rewards in cash, various goods, and medicines.
Likewise, COA said that P3.5 million of the disallowed P73 million “were used for payment for tables, chairs, desktop computers and printers without specifying that they were intended for the confidential operations/activities undertaken by the OVP, non-compliant with the requirement of Item 4.8.4 of the Joint Circular governing use of confidential fund.”
“Kapag humihingi ka ng budget galing sa pondo ng bayan o public funds, kailangang ipaliwanag mo kung saan, paano at bakit mo ito gagamitin, kahit pa pambili mo ito ng office supplies o pambili ng daing na pusit,” ended Zarate
In defending Rep. Castro, Zarate underscores the importance of transparency and accountability in government spending, calling on public officials to justify their use of taxpayer money rather than resorting to deflection and disinformation. #
