The chairman of the House Committee on Good Government and Public Accountability on Sunday, July 4, dared Senator Emmanuel “Manny” Pacquiao to pursue a Senate inquiry into his expose on alleged massive corruption in the government.
But contrary to the view of DIWA Partylist Rep. Michael Y. Aglipay that Pacquiao should initiate the Senate probe, Asst. Minority Leader and Gabriela Partylist Rep. Arlene Brosas is supporting a Lower House probe into Pacquiao’s allegations.
An inquiry into the alleged massive graft and corruption incidences may be assigned to Aglipay's committee.
"An investigation done by the House regarding the cash aid payouts and transaction fees must be in order, as these issues were swept under the rug during the budget deliberations last year,” Brosas said.
In a press statement, Aglipay said that as chairman of the good government and public accountability panel, it is “my duty to initiate or support any investigation that seeks to expose any corrupt practices in government.”
“Senator Pacquiao’s allegations against DSWD over the missing P10.4 Billion pesos meant for ayuda, as well as corruption in the DOH, DOE, and DENR are a very serious matters, and should be coursed through formal channels by way of a resolution, which he should file before their own Senate blue ribbon committee under Senator Gordon,” said Aglipay.
However, Aglipay stressed that the Lower House honors “inter-parliamentary” courtesy, thus, it is Pacquiao who must initiate a congressional inquiry.”
“We honor interparliamentary courtesy, but at the same time believe that the good Senator should file a resolution to investigate the alleged corruption,” explained Aglipay.
Brosas said allegations of anomalous transactions in the implementation of the multi-billion pesos social amelioration program should be investigated by the Lower House.
"An investigation done by the House regarding the cash aid payouts and transaction fees must be in order, as these issues were swept under the rug during the budget deliberations last year," said Brosas.
Before leaving for the United States to train for his next ring assignment, Pacquiao met the local news media to reveal alleged irregularities in the distribution of cash aids to Filipinos through the Starpay and other financial technology contractors tapped by the Department of Social Welfare and Development (DSWD) for the cash distribution.
"The MOA (memorandum of agreement) between DSWD and fintech firms must be publicized not just because of alleged missing funds, but because of the charging of transaction fees for each ayuda beneficiary which was eventually reimbursed by the DSWD based on their response during the budget deliberations," said Brosas.
The Gabriela partylist solon recalled that she had inquired from the DSWD about its deals with finntechs in connection with the distribution of cash dole outs in connection with the implementation of the Bayanihan 1 and 2.
However, until now, the DSWD has failed to submit to Brosas’ office the required documents supporting the multi-billion peso deal.
Brosas said government tapped last year FSPs like GCash, Rizal Commercial Banking Corp. (RCBC), Robinsons Bank, PayMaya, Starpay and Unionbank to facilitate the payouts of the cash aid to millions of low income families.