House Majority Leader dares Budget chief Diokno to man up and explain alleged anomalies

Budget Secretary Benjamin Diokno must man up and explain allegations of anomalies and doubtful practices before the House of Representatives, Majority Leader Rolando Andaya said Friday.

Andaya made the statement as the House Rules Committee invited Diokno for the third time to appear as a resource person in the congressional hearing on allegations of questionable allocations and practices at the Department of Budget and Management (DBM).

“As DBM top honcho, Secretary Diokno should be man enough to explain the anomalous allocations and questionable practices, which the House panel uncovered in the course of the investigation,” he said.

The third hearing is set on Monday, January 21.

“We have sent formal invitation to Secretary Diokno, and we hope he will reconsider his earlier decision not to appear in the House investigation,” said Andaya, adding that the Budget secretary must attend instead of sending his undersecretary and other DBM officials.

“Secretary Diokno should be the one doing the explaining. He is the top decision maker at the department, and the buck stops with him,” the lawmaker said.

Diokno earlier said he was advised by the Executive Department not to attend the inquiry, because of his “bad experience” for invoking executive privilege during the Question Hour at the House.

The committed intends to show that the DBM made billion from anomalous transactions, Andaya said.

“All these money unaccounted for, according to COA. Now we have half the truth. We just need to chip away at the half lie,” he added.

GMA News Online has gotten in touch with the DBM secretary’s office to get his side on the matter, but no reply has been received as of this posting.

Andaya and Diokno have been at loggerheads over the proposed 2019 budget.

Also invited to the hearing is Bingle Gutierrez, executive director at DBM-PS, who supplied the information and official documents on P198 billion in contracts bidded out by DBM last year on behalf of other departments and executive offices.

As P168 billion of the contracts in question were lodged at the Department of Transportation (DOTr), the committee also invited Atty. Giovanni Lopez, the DOTr assistant secretary for Procurement.

Other DOTr officials invited are Philippine National Railways General Manager Junn Magno, PNR OIC for  Administrative and Finance Department Herminio Del Rosario Jr., Manila International Airport Authority General Manager Eddie Monreal, Light Rail Transit Authority Executive Director Gen. Reynaldo Berroya (Ret.), LRTA Office of the Deputy Administrator OIC Atty. Jose Jobel Belarmino, and LRTA Division Manager Eduardo Abiva.

Capt. Jim C. Sydiongco, Director General of Civil Aviation Authority of the Philippines; R/Adm Elson E. Hermogino, Commandant, Philippine Coast Guard; Undersecretary Gen. Arturo M. Evangelista (Ret.), Administrator, Office of the Transport Security; and Gen. Edgar C. Galvante (Ret), Assistant Secretary, Land Transportation Office; Dave M. Almarinez, President and CEO of Philippine International Trading Corporation; and Ma. Victoria C. Magcase, PITC Vice President, were also invited. —VDS, GMA News