Dear Mr. Ping Lacson,
I am genuinely perplexed kung ano ang panghahawakan ko sa mga sinasabi ninyo. Arguably, you have been an advocate of budget transparency, and you and your office over the years at the Senate ay talagang naging involved sa budget scrutiny each budget deliberation yearly.
In your effort to pursue budget transparency, you filed Senate Bill 24, the "People’s Participation in the National Budget Process Act of 2019". Unfortunately it did not materialize. Sabagay kung wala kayong kakampi na kapwa mambabatas, di talaga makausad ang bill ninyo, so nag give up nalang kayo? And you have been so vocal of being anti-pork. In fairness to you, parang kayo lang po yata ang nag-iisa na ganyan ka vocal up to the point na tingin ko you are earning the irks of your colleagues in both houses. Lalo na when you divulged in your interview with Ted Failon about the BICAM secrecy and the "pork barrel" allocation of your colleagues in the budget. That's commendable, but not enough.
You have served as a Senator for many terms, why did you not make sure this kind of bulok system of Congress is prevented? Why couldn't you confront your colleagues to shape up? What change will it make if you get elected again?
Anyways, back to my original concern. There is one thing that REALLY BOTHERS me and I hope you can enlighten us. How come that you filed Concurrent Resolution No. 10 in 2011, allowing or continuing the old practice of both Senate and House ang LIQUIDATION BY CERTIFICATION ng inyong mga expenses?
Last year, when Sass Rogando Sasot brought this out in the open, the "Legalized CORRUPTION" (thanks Sass!), you released a statement that "the Concurrent Resolution No. 10 actually sought more accountability by justifying the liquidation of funds through the submission of receipts".
Hmm..Sir, ang nakalagay po sa resolution to mention a few:
"WHEREAS, in recognition of the delicate and unique nature of the functions, operational and organizational structures of the Senate, the House of Representatives, the Commission on Appointments and the Senate and House Electoral Tribunals, the Commission on Audit has consistently allowed the current system of liquidation by way of certification, duly signed by each Senator and Member of the House of Representatives, that such amounts allocatild to each Member of Congress as part of their Maintenance imd Other Operating Expenses (MOOE) were utilized or expenlied in the performance of their legislative functions;
Resolved, as it is hereby resolved by the Senate, the House of Representatives concurring, That the prevaIling system of accounting and liquidation of the respective budgetary allocations of each Member of the Senate and the House of Representatives as classified and consistent with applicable accounting and auditing rules shall be maintained.
There you go Sir, "liquidation by way of certification shall be maintained".
Hence the 2012 COA audit issue: https://www.facebook.com/share/p/zncKm2gGEiUsmg3K/
I sincerely don't understand po paanong ang resolution you filed magkaroon ng more accountability pero and liquidation is by certification?
And I would like to believe you po when you said na when COA first conducted a special audit, you were the first one to submit the receipts and related documents, sinabi rin ng COA yan. How about po give access to the public to see these disbursements?
In 2012 COA Audit Report, one of the issues raised by COA was the liquidation by certification. As per COA, the regulation will REMAIN valid and enforceable until a:
1) resolution is passed repealing it- NOT DONE (or at least I could not find one).
2) Supreme Court declares it to be invalid- NOT DONE.
And what is this Sir, that as per Senate, it added that what COA prescribed would be impossible to comply.
Why during your time as a Senator, this Concurrent Resolution No 10 was not repealed?
In fact in 2019, your dear friend former Senate President Tito Sotto asked again COA through Senate Memorandum 2019-01 for the liquidation by certification? See here: https://www.facebook.com/share/p/dBbZ1RXtw8ufX4mM/
But the COA replied na hindi pwede lahat ay liquidation by certification. As to how much lang, NOBODY knows. Walang transparency po.
Ang tanong ng taumbayan:
Why is the Congress of the Philippines so special? Special among equals? Is the Congress of the Philippines more unique and has more delicate nature of functions than the US CONGRESS? But how come the US CONGRESS has a publicly available disbursement reports online, accessible to the people?
How much of your allocated MOOEs from 2019 to 2022, total of P110 million, were liquidated by receipts or by certification?
How about Sir, MAKE YOUR STATEMENT OF DISBURSEMENT REPORTS available to the public by publishing ONLINE like how US CONGRESS and Parliament of Canada are doing. Please see attached files for your appreciation.
How about you talk to your colleagues na gumawa po ng batas na lahat ng members ng Congress shall do the same?
Sir, as per the recent survey, you are one of the leading candidates sa Senate for 2025. What changes will you introduce or make if you will be back sa Senado, to really put the nice words of transparency and accountability into action?
Even kayo parang helpless and powerless din sa budget insertions ng mga colleagues ninyo, how much more of this liquidation by certification?
You have been there and served many times as a Senator, what difference will it make if you will be back again?
Truth be told that the Senate of the Philippines is all LIP SERVICE. It has NO FULL TRANSPARENCY AND ACCOUNTABILITY.
In fact, ang annual budget ng Senate and House has no public hearing, no public deliberation, no questions, no interpellation, no justification. Yet, kung makascrutinize ang Kongreso sa ibang ahensya ng gobyerno ganun-ganun nalang.
Why the HYPOCRISY?
Maraming salamat po.
Disclosure: Among all the Presidentiables last 2022 election, I was seriously considering you po talaga kaso bothered ako in some statements you made about FPRRD. Yes, I am a Duterte supporter po. And yes isa po ako sa nabudol ni BBM when I chose to campaign for him.
More here:
Liquidation by CERTIFICATION RESOLUTIONS:
Ping Lacson's Statement on Legalized Corruption Issue: https://pinglacson.net/.../on-the-so-called-legalized.../
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