House cites Diokno in contempt for repeated snub of budget probe
Credit to Author: GLEE JALEA| Date: Fri, 08 Feb 2019 03:39:52 +0000
Committee chairman Rolando Andaya Jr. said that Diokno had waived his right to the three-day rule, which he cited as reason for his absence in the sixth public inquiry on the anomalous allocations by the Department of Budget and Management (DBM).
“Pasenysa ka na, Secretary Diokno, sablay ang advice sayo. Contempt ka pa rin. You just waived your right over the three-day rule by submitting these documents,” Andaya said.
(I’m sorry, Secretary Diokno. The advice given to you was a failure. You’re still in contempt. You just waived your right over the three-day rule by submitting these documents.)
Andaya was referring to Diokno’s statement that the House violated its three-day rule in issuing a subpoena before the scheduled hearing. He claimed he was not given “proper notice and enough time” to prepare for the inquiry.
Section 8 (3) of the Rules of Procedure Governing Inquiries in Aid of Legislation of the House of Representatives states that:
“Subpoena shall be served to a witness at least three (3) days before a scheduled hearing in order to give the witness every opportunity to prepare for the hearing and to employ counsel, should the witness desire.”
A subpoena ad testificandum and subpoena duces tecum both signed by Speaker Gloria Macapagal Arroyo, Andaya, and acting House secretary general Dante Roberto Maling were only sent to the DBM on February 6, Wednesday.
“I’m sure this would have been your chance to come here and explain.
Chicken na chicken ‘yung dating mo (you just keep on chickening out),” Andaya told Diokno.
In the same hearing, Andaya also bared that Diokno previously attempted to bribe the House with P40 billion in exchange for not disclosing the agency’s P75 billion insertion to the Public Works budget for 2019.
“[Diokno] then tried to buy our cooperation. He offered the House P40 billion for us to shut up about the P75-billion insertion,” Andaya disclosed, claiming that he previously met with Diokno to address the questionable amount when he was then majority leader.
“He told me, I will get it from savings from 2018.’ That’s the reason why I’m asking for the documents on the 2018 savings,” he added.
The Andaya-led panel revealed that over P205 billion and P97 billion worth of savings in 2017 and 2018, respectively, could only be released at Diokno’s disposal.
Diokno had been snubbing the House public inquiries since his heated exchange with Andaya and Minority Leader Danilo Suarez in December’s Question Hour.
The Department of Public Works and Highways (DPWH) previously revealed that the DBM was responsible for the inserted P75 billion, a portion of which, to allegedly favor the construction firm of Diokno’s in-laws.
Diokno was also accused of keeping P370 billion in budgetary savings, but he claimed that amount was reverted to the Treasury.
About P198-billion worth of government contracts were also reportedly procured by the DBM in 2018 for big-ticket infrastructure projects.
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