đź“·Sen. Loren Legarda
Senator Loren Legarda suspended the budget hearing for the Presidential Communication Office after figures provided by PCO Secretary Cesar Chavez and Philippine Information Agency Director General Jose Torres Jr. did not match the total number of barangays in the country.
During the hearing on Thursday, September 26, Legarda asked PCO about the total number of barangays in the Philippines after the communications arm of Malacañang had an ongoing program called Barangay Information Officers Network Summit.
“You’re the information hub, so a senator is asking the Philippine Information Agency to give me basic information on how many barangays there are in the country, I need to know,” Legarda said.
According to Torres, there are 42,045 barangays. Legarda, citing the Department of Interior and Local Government, thought there were 42,004 barangays.
“If we are to have a Barangay Information Officers Network, the basis is, how many barangays?” Legarda asked again, adding that she could not move forward with the Senate hearing until the talking heads knew simple facts.
Legarda’s frustration stemmed from the inconsistent numbers from different government agencies during previous hearings.
Chavez then brought up that there were 42,046, citing data from the Philippine Statistics Authority.
“Oh! Iba nanaman! I would request you to be more prepared for our next hearing next week. We start at 9 am,” Legarda said.
PCO faced a different setup in the Senate this time for its budget hearing as the House of Representatives swiftly approved the PCO’s proposed 2025 budget of P2.281 billion with minimal questioning. (TCSP)
