Hontiveros pushes for PS-DBM abolition; Cayetano says people, not agency, behind corruption

Opposition Senator Risa Hontiveros on Thursday joined the call for the abolition of the controversial Procurement Service of the Department of Budget and Management (PS-DBM) amid the alleged overpriced and outdated laptops procured by the agency for the Department of Education (DepEd).

Senator Alan Peter Cayetano, however, said punishing the government officials involved in the corrupt practices is the solution, not the abolition of the  agency.

During the Senate blue ribbon hearing into the procurement of DepEd laptops, Hontiveros said the PS-DBM has been a "breeding ground of inefficiency, negligence of duties, and graft and corruption."

"I have supported the calls to abolish PS-DBM but we should not forget the wrongdoings of the past. All those responsible for those irregularities should be held administratively and criminally liable," she said.

Apart from the DepEd laptop issue, Hontiveros also said the Commission on Audit (COA) has flagged PS-DBM for the procurement of P1.39 billion worth of PPEs that were not certified as safe by the Food and Drug Administration.

She added COA reports reveal that there are other government agencies that have "unserved" and "unremitted" funds in the PS-DBM.

Hontiveros said among those flagged by the state auditors in its Annual Audit Reports  for 2021 were the following:

• In the Philippine National Police: fund transfers to PS-DBM for the years 2010-2021 totaling P1.696 billion remain unserved and unliquidated depriving PNP of the use of the much-needed equipment and supplies.
• In the Bureau of Immigration: “unutilized/excess advances to PS-DBM totaling P10,645,817.31 were not returned to the Bureau or remitted to the Bureau of Treasury.”
• In the Bureau of Fire Protection: “the accumulated balance of prior years’ fund transfers of one to 16 years totaling P511.377 million remained unremitted to the Bureau of Treasury.”

"Wala pa po dito ang unliquidated advances amounting to tens of millions of pesos by various government agencies and attached agencies to PS-DBM," she said.

"Kitang-kita na breeding ground ang PS-DBM ng inefficiency, negligence of duties, at graft and corruption," she added.

Earlier, several senators including Senate President Juan Miguel Zubiri and Senator Imee Marcos called for the abolition of PS-DBM.

In a chance interview with reporters after the hearing, Cayetano explained that an institution with a good record of efficiency should not be abolished just because there was an issue of corruption.

The lawmaker mentioned the time of late former President Benigno Aquino III when the PS-DBM had "very high esteem."

"Para mong sinabi na for 15 years for all the Senate presidents, maganda ang bidding ng Senate biglang nagkaroon ng overprice, you don't abolish the Senate. 'Di ba? You punish kung sino man," he said.

"Unless, sasabihin mo na from the start for 15 years, every single time corrupt talaga, meaning by nature corrupt 'yung na-create, then i-abolish mo. So hindi ako agree to just keep abolishing kasi kapag in-abolish mo lang lilipat lang 'yan sa ibang agency. Dapat mahuli talaga ang gumagawa nito," he added.

"So hindi 'yung PS-DBM ang problema, 'yung mga nag-take over at mga tao na ginawa ito," he further said.—AOL, GMA News