‘Disrespect’: Tolentino slams PSA for not complying with Blue Ribbon request

Senator Francis Tolentino on Thursday slammed the Philippine Statistics Authority (PSA) for "disrespecting" the Senate by ignoring the Blue Ribbon Committee's request to provide a death certificate relevant to the panel's investigation into the Department of Education's procurement of reportedly pricey and outdated laptops.

During the Senate plenary deliberations on the proposed 2023 national budget, Tolentino, chairman of the Senate Blue Ribbon Committee, said they issued a subpoena duces tecum, or a summons to produce documents, signed by Senate President Juan Miguel Zubiri last week.

Tolentino said that before the issuance of the subpoena, the PSA declined the panel's document request, citing an internal circular that invokes the Data Privacy Act.

But the lawmaker pointed out that even the National Privacy Commission said the law will not apply to the Senate's request for the death certificate.

"Up to this date hindi pa po sila nagko-comply. If that is not an indirect contempt, di ko na po alam kung anong tawag doon...Binalewala nila 'yung subpoena," Tolentino said.

He then warned that PSA Administrator Dennis Mapa could be cited in contempt for not providing the document requested by the Senate panel.

"I can have the PSA administrator be cited in contempt. Pwede nating ikulong yan, but I'm not doing that. Hindi ko lang maintindihan bakit po sila gumawa ng sariling circular which they think is above even the Constitution. They cited as their reason for their refusal the existence of their own circular," he said.

Tolentino argued that the PSA has no right to interpret the law and the existing procedures concerning the Blue Ribbon Committee.

"Ang pinahiya ho dito ay hindi lang ang Blue Ribbon Committee, kung hindi ang buong Senado. How can the PSA defy the Senate by invoking their own circular?" he said.

"Gusto ko lang i-preserve ang integrity ng Senado at wag mabastos ng kahit sinong ahensya na humihingi ng budget sa Kongreso," he added.

Although he said he has no problem with the PSA budget requests, Tolentino said the agency should recognize that they are not above the law.

Apology

However, Senator Sonny Angara, who defended the PSA budget, said Mapa apologizes for the incident and acknowledged that the agency was wrong in its interpretation of its existing circular and for refusing to give the document requested by the Blue Ribbon panel.

Angara said Mapa had already issued the document after his attention was called to the matter.

A soft copy of the death certificate was sent last Wednesday and a hard copy was sent last Monday.

"Nonetheless, I think there should be lessons learned here as pointed out by our good colleague. There should be proper observance of the laws. There should be compliance with the request of a co-equal body in the exercise of its duty," Angara said.

"He [Mapa] will create measures to see that these things won't happen again," Angara added. — BM, GMA Integrated News