By Hannah Torregoza
Senator Leila de Lima on Tuesday cautioned Congress against blindly approving discretionary budget to the Office of the President saying it may find itself party to the numerous illegal and criminal acts perpetuated by the Chief Executive.
Senator Leila de Lima
(REUTERS/Romeo Ranoco / MANILA BULLETIN)
De Lima made the call after the Commission on Audit (COA) report showed that the maintenance and other operating expenses (MOOE) of the Office of the President (OP) totaled P14.9 billion in 2017, or up to 534.24 percent.
This means that the budget of President Rodrigo Duterte’s office rose to 500 percent from P2.3-billion in 2016 to almost P15-billion in 2017.
De Lima described the huge increase as “unconscionable, scandalous, and extravagant.”