Andaya: House to continue grilling Diokno over questioned allocation

House lawmakers' job is not done yet with the approval by the bicameral panel of the P3.757-trillion 2019 national allocation as the chamber must ensure budget spending accountability, Appropriations chairman Rep. Rolando Andaya Jr. said Saturday

"Congress will continue exercising its oversight function to ensure that public funds allocated to government programs and projects are spent in accordance with the law and the existing rules," Andaya said in a statement.

He particularly said the House Committees on Appropriations and Public Accounts will conduct joint public hearings on questionable practice by the Department of Budget and Management (DBM) under Secretary Benjamin Diokno.

"If the good Secretary thinks he can now relax and continue with his illicit activities, he is gravely mistaken. Hindi pa tapos ang pag-iimbistiga namin sa mga anomalyang kinasasangkutan niya," he added.

In the next few weeks, we will again subpoena top officials of the DBM and Public Works department to pin down the real masterminds behind the P75-billion insertion in the preparation of the 2019 National Expenditure Program.

Andaya claimed that Diokno was involved in supposedly anomalous transactions of contractor CT Leoncio Construction and Trading in Sorsogon, and has repeatedly claimed that there are other Cabinet officials who are part of this scheme in the Bicol region.

During a separate hearing by the House Committee on Rules in Naga City earlier last month, the lawmaker claimed that CT Leoncio was only a front, and that the company of Diokno’s in-laws, Aremar Construction Corp., was the one cornering contracts from the winning bidders.

Earlier, Diokno said he would face the House probe but he skipped last Friday's hearing, prompting Andaya to threaten the secretary with "contempt citation." —LBG, GMA News