Metro Manila (CNN Philippines) — Another plunder complaint was filed before the Office of the Ombudsman against Budget Secretary Florencio “Butch” Abad over the Aquino administration’s Disbursement Acceleration Program (DAP).
Lawyer Bonifacio Alentajan, former president of the Philippine Constitutional Association (Philconsa), filed the plunder complaint on Thursday (July 23) for carrying out the controversial fund disbursement mechanism.
Alentajan accused Abad of committing a crime when he approved the realignment of funds without the approval of Congress.
The lawyer also accused Abad of awarding P50 million to 19 senators for voting to impeach then Chief Justice Renato Corona in 2012.
The DAP first came under fire when Senator Jose “Jinggoy” Estrada, Jr., in a privilege speech back in 2013, said that he himself received additional pork as incentive for Corona’s impeachment.
Abad has since clarified that the funds given to senators were part of DAP, a mechanism designed to fast-track public spending.
Alentajan also asked the Ombudsman to immediately place Abad under preventive suspension.
‘Figment of imagination’
The Budget secretary, however, dismissed the second plunder complaint filed against him saying that it has “absolutely” no basis.
He added that it was just “a figment of the complainant’s imagination.”
Meanwhile, Malacañan said it would just let the rule of law prevail.
“Meron pong mga proseso ang batas hinggil diyan at wala naman pong balakid para sinomang mamamayan o pangkat na maghain ng usapin o kuwestyon sa Tanggapan ng Ombudsman. [Iyan] naman po ay ayon sa pag-iral ng rule of law sa ating bansa,” Presidential Communications Operations Office Secretary Herminio Coloma Jr. said.
[Translation: We have a legal process for that and any citizen or group can file a complaint before the Ombudsman. It is in accordance with the country’s rule of law.]
Second complaint
This is the second plunder complaint over DAP lodged against the budget official before the Office of the Ombudsman.
In July last year, the Kabataan Partylist also filed a similar plunder complaint against Abad but the Ombudsman has yet to resolve it.
The Supreme Court has declared parts of the DAP illegal, including the transfer of the Executive’s savings to other offices.
