Malacanang orders suspension of work in
government offices anew in light of severe flooding
Malacanang ordered the suspension of work in the
government offices in Metro Manila in light of the severe flooding in some
parts of the metropolis, a Palace official said on Tuesday.
Presidential Spokesperson Edwin Lacierda said in
a statement that Executive Secretary Paquito N. Ochoa Jr. ordered the
suspension of work in government offices, except those involved in disaster
risk reduction and management, upon the recommendation of the Philippine
Atmospheric, Geophysical and Astronomical Service Administration (PAGASA) and
the Metropolitan Manila Development Authority.
The PAGASA issued an Orange Rainfall advisory
early Tuesday, warning the public that heavy to intense rainfall are to be
expected over Metro Manila and parts of Central and Southern Luzon.
The weather bureau also advised the public to
take precautionary measures. PND (js)
Aquino puts on hold release of Priority
Development Assistance Fund
President Benigno S. Aquino III said his
administration has put on hold the release of funds intended for Priority
Development Assistance Fund (PDAF) until a thorough investigation into the pork
barrel scandal ends.
The President said future PDAF releases are
still with the Department of Budget and Management because the implementing
agencies which got initial releases have to liquidate the money they received.
Asked until when the DBM will hold the PDAF, the
President said the ongoing investigation on the pork barrel of lawmakers has to
be completed so that the government could act on the loopholes that reportedly
became the source of corruption on PDAF releases.
“Tapusin muna ang imbestigasyon and check kung
mayroong pa ngang mga loopholes na dapat maisara,” the Chief Executive said in
an interview with GMA network's Maki Pulido on Tuesday.
The government must file charges if the
investigation yielded any anomaly in PDAF releases, he said.
The Department of Justice (DOJ) intends to
expand its investigation into the pork barrel scam following the release of the
Commission on Audit (COA) report on alleged misuse of over P6 billion in
controversial funds.
The President also expressed dismay over
allegations on the misuse of the PDAF.
“Ang kuntsabahan ng napakaraming sektor para
mangyari ito, ang mga allegations? Beneficiaries, listahan ng bar examinees?
Malulungkot ka rin kung ‘yung magandang nagagawa naman sa paggamit ng PDAF
natatabunan nitong kababuyan na ito,” he said.
So, we’re trying to come up with that system
that does away with all of the loopholes, para siguradong mapunta doon sa
talagang pangangailangan ng bawat komunidad,” he continued.
The President also said he’s not in favor of
abolishing the PDAF altogether since it helps the government carry out projects
that can’t be done by the national government.
He added that his administration is working on a
new system that will eliminate the loopholes that result to corruption.
There will be a menu of projects and expenses
and the government must limit the release of funds to legitimate non-government
organizations (NGOs) that really help the community, he said.
The current process in releasing the PDAF must
be simplified, the President said. Building major projects such as schools and
electrifying communities should not be a concern since the government has
started eliminating the classroom backlogs and has connected far-flung areas to
main power lines, he added.
The justice department has been investigating
the anomaly in the release of PDAF of lawmakers allegedly to non-existent or
bogus NGOs amounting to billions of pesos. PND (js/as)
