PCOO budget can't be hostaged for Badoy's refusal to resign—Lacson

The proposed budget for the Presidential Communications Operations Office (PCOO) in the next fiscal year cannot be hostaged by Congress just because Undersecretary Lorraine Badoy refused to resign, Senator Panfilo Lacson said Friday.

"We cannot sacrifice the whole budget for the retention or resignation of a government official assigned to PCOO. Hindi naman pwede ma-hostage ang buong budget," Lacson said in an interview on  ANC.

Further, Lacson underscored that resignation is always a personal decision.

"It’s up to Congress if they will support the move of the Makabayan bloc in the House of Representatives or not. If the whole HOR will throw its support to Rep. [Carlos] Zarate and the rest of the Makabayan bloc, baka may papuntahan.  But if not, hanggang diyan lang 'yan," he said.

The Makabayan Bloc on Wednesday called for the immediate resignation of Badoy after she allegedly red-tagged opposition lawmakers in a social media post over the weekend.

The budget hearing for PCOO was also suspended after the opposition legislators in the lower chamber took offense.

"Kung ganu'n-ganu'n na lang mag-akusa ang isang unelected official na ito sa mga halal ng bayan, at humihingi sila ng budget dito, then we cannot allow that," Bayan Muna party-list Representative Carlos Zarate said.

On the other hand, Badoy, who serves as spokesperson of the National Task Force to End Local Communist Armed Conflict (NTF-ELCAC), rejected the appeal for her to step down.

Based on the National Expenditure program for 2021, around P1.59 billion was allocated for the PCOO and its attached agencies.—AOL, GMA News