Senate Seeks List of Fraudulent, Substandard Flood Control Projects from COA

Senator JV Ejercito said the Senate has asked the Commission on Audit (COA) to provide a list of flood control projects that its ongoing fraud audits have found to be fraudulent or substandard. In an ambush interview on Thursday, Ejercito, chairperson of the Senate Finance Committee, said the list would help lawmakers determine which projects should proceed and which should be scrapped. “We asked them for their cooperation as we resumed the flood control projects," he said. “We would need a list of projects sa investigation nila that are fraudulent or substandard para at least alam natin kung which projects can be completed, yung pwede ituloy at hindi pwede ituloy." (We would need a list of projects from their investigation that are fraudulent or substandard so that we know which projects can be completed, which can proceed and which cannot.) Meanwhile, Ejercito said the Senate has asked concerned agencies to clarify the joint circular governing confidential and intelligence funds and consider issuing clearer guidelines and safeguards following controversies over their use. On the Senate’s plan to hold budget hearings alongside plenary sessions, Ejercito said the arrangement may begin next week, as agencies still need to be informed and are simultaneously attending House budget hearings. He described the scheduling as a major challenge given the simultaneous impeachment proceedings, plenary sessions, and budget deliberations. “Very, it’s really a challenge,” he said. “Extraordinary talaga itong time na ito because of the impeachment and the plenary and the ongoing budget hearings.” (This is really an extraordinary time because of the impeachment, plenary sessions, and ongoing budget hearings.) Ejercito said he had appealed to committee vice chairs to follow, as much as possible, the schedules to be published by the Legislative Budget Research and Monitoring Office (LBRMO) or the Finance Committee. He acknowledged that senators may have to move quickly between budget hearings and plenary sessions if a vote is suddenly required. Ejercito also clarified that the arrangement would apply to the Finance Committee given the exceptional circumstances. He said he had raised concerns that the proposed nearly two-week marathon schedule for the impeachment proceedings could significantly affect the budget hearings. “Dalawa yung choice natin, tapusin yung impeachment or magka-reenacted budget tayo." (We have two choices: finish the impeachment proceedings or have a reenacted budget.) He said the Senate is discussing how to fit the budget hearings into the impeachment and plenary session schedules. “We do not want a reenacted budget as well,” Ejercito said. — VBL, GMA News