Will Senator Nancy Binay call on her dad to do the same?

“Despite Pres. Aquino's rejection of his resignation, Sec. Butch Abad should still face the music and explain to the people the controversial Disbursement Acceleration Program (DAP).

 

Abad should still be made accountable on how he managed the people's money.

 

Maybe it's about time for Sec. Abad to face the Senate to give him the opportunity to explain, defend and finally shed light on DAP.”

 

This is an excerpt from a press release made by Senator Nancy Binay (you can view it at https://www.senate.gov.ph/press_release/2014/0711_binay1.asp) at the height of all the discourse, discussions and arguments about the Disbursement Acceleration Program (DAP) last July.

In her statement, Senator Binay stressed the need for Budget and Management Sec. Abad to be made accountable as to how he managed public funds. She also encouraged him to come and participate in the Senate hearings so he could explain the administration’s decision to implement the DAP.

As we all know by now, Sec. Abad didn’t need much coercing to attend the Senate hearing that was held last July 24, 2014 to explain the administration’s stand about the DAP. His opening statement during the said Senate hearing can be seen here.

It was during this hearing that Sec. Abad was able to shed light about how DAP was used to benefit millions of Filipinos and at the same time explain what measures were put in place to ensure that these public funds would be used properly.

 

VP Binay calls for full transparency in the use of public funds

 

I agree with Senator Binay in her call to ask Sec. Abad to attend the Senate hearing being conducted about the DAP because as tax-paying Filipinos, it is our right to know how our public funds are being spent.

It was also good for no less than President Noynoy Aquino to appear on national television last July 14, 2014 to explain to the people what DAP is and how it is promoting growth and development in our country.

This was after all the call of no less than Vice-President Jejomar Binay who in his speech at the Rotary Club of Manila last July 10, 2014 asked that the Aquino administration live up to its tenet of full transparency by disclosing every detail as to how DAP funds were used.

In other words, Vice-President Binay correctly insisted that there should be nothing hidden from the public’s eye especially when it concerns public funds worth billions of pesos.

 

Shoe is on the other foot: P2.2-B Makati City Hall Building II overpriced?

 

Now, the shoe, it seems, is on the other foot as the Senate led by Senator Koko Pimentel, a former party-mate of the Vice-President at PDP-Laban, has started its hearings last August on the alleged overpricing of the P2.2-billion Makati City Hall Building II.

This said building was constructed during the time that the Vice President was mayor of Makati City.

The question that begs to be answered thus is whether or not Senator Binay will also call on her dad to appear before the Senate to shed light on this issue.

Moreover, it would be good to see if the Vice-President himself would live up to his own words and give a clear explanation to the public as to how a parking building would cost our government more than P2 billion which is much more expensive than many luxury condominiums currently being sold in Makati and Bonifacio Global City.

Building experts have already concluded that there is nothing special or even world-class about this parking building thus, it is not far-fetched that many Filipinos are now seriously thinking there might be graft and corruption involved in the bidding and construction of this building.

Given that the 2016 elections is just around the corner, the only way that this issue will go away is if Vice-President Binay will do what both Sec. Abad and President Aquino did: face this issue head-on and give the general public an acceptable explanation as to why such a huge amount was used to build a building that could have easily been constructed for less than half of that amount.

Echoing what Senator Miriam Defensor-Santiago has recently said, if Vice-President Binay is able to explain properly, then this issue may suddenly turn into his favor and make him a much stronger candidate for the 2016 presidential race. 

 

How much is P2.2 billion?

 

In real numbers, just how much is P2.2 billion?

 

·       It is equivalent to providing PhilHealth benefits to 916,000 indigent families all over the country.

 

·       It is equivalent to providing full college scholarships to 5,500 financially underprivileged but deserving Filipino youth.

 

·       It is equivalent to providing low-cost housing to 14,000 indigent families all over the country.

 

As you can see, this staggering amount is enough to change the lives of so many Filipinos thus, the least we can expect from our government leaders from the President down to our barangay leaders is to use our hard-earned taxpayers' money in a most effective and ethical way.

More importantly, when the time comes that we want to ask questions about how these public funds were used, hopefully, they can also give us answers and not give us the same old worn-out excuse that these allegations of misuse of funds is nothing but pure politics.