Metro Manila (CNN Philippines, October 6) — A lawmaker has called out the Office of the Solicitor General (OSG) for proposing millions worth of travel and training expenses, and confidential funds for 2021 despite physical restrictions brought by the COVID-19 pandemic.
During the plenary deliberation in the House on Tuesday, Bayan Muna Party-list Rep. Carlos Zarate questioned the OSG’s hefty ₱24.5 million proposal of travel expenses for local and foreign trips for next year.
“Hindi ito ang unang pagkakatoon na nagkaroon ng bahid ng kwestyon sa mga travel expenses,” Zarate said. “Sa mga unang taon ng kasakuluyang administrasyon, pinagbawalan na ang pagbyahe ng byahe ng mga opisyal, ang iba dahil sa byahe nila, tinanggal. Pero dito (OSG), tuluy-tuloy ‘yung pag-allocate natin ng milyun-milyon.”
[Translation: This is not the first time that questions were raised over travel expenses. In the first years of this administration, officials were barred for numerous travels and those who did were removed from their posts. But here with the OSG, we continue to allocate millions.]
Citing the 2021 National Expenditure Program (NEP), Zarate also noted that aside from the ₱24.5 million, another ₱23.8 million will be allotted for supposed trainings and scholarship expenses.
The OSG also has ₱19.2 million approved by the Department of Budget and Management (DBM) under the NEP.
Bulacan Rep. Jose Antonio Sy-Alvarado, who stood as sponsor of the OSG budget, said the agency has already committed to “reallocate” the questionable funds to the rehabilitation of the agency’s old building.
“Kahilingan po ng OSG na ang confidential funds ay mailipat po sa capital outlay,” Sy-Alvarado said. “Hindi naman po nagamit at hindi rin po magagamit. Ang building po ng SolGen (Solicitor General) ay lumang-luma na at delikado nang mabasa yung mga papeles na nakapaloob doon.”
[Translation: The OSG wishes to transfer these confidential funds to the capital outlay. These were not used and will not be used. The SolGen’s building is old and important documents stored inside could be easily damaged.]
Similar concerns were brought up on Monday’s Senate hearing on the agency’s budget before it got deferred. Senator Francis Tolentino echoed the Commission on Audit report which disclosed that the OSG violated the Joint Circular No. 2015-01 of the DBM or the guidelines on the entitlement, release, use, reporting and audit of confidential and/or intelligence funds.
Calida was not present in the hearing. The agency was instead asked to submit documents on Calida’s allowances, travel expenses, and other expenditures.
Assistant Solicitor General Henry Angeles, who represented the OSG, responded to queries regarding Calida’s allowances, as the latter is the second-highest paid government official for 2019.
Angeles said Calida receives his allowances from client agencies represented by the OSG. On the intelligence funds, he noted that these are currently under the MOOE (maintenance and other operating expenses) which could be realigned to a capital expenditure allocation for the revamp of their building.
The OSG has a proposed budget of ₱1.11 billion for 2021.
