Senator Christopher ‘’Bong ‘’ Go on Saturday September 4 sought the activation of a Senate and House of Representatives oversight function to check into how scarce government funds are spent.

During a DWIZ radio interview, Go said this would be done by adopting a clause in the proposed 2022 national budget that the Legislature could look into how the funds were used and where did the funds go to prevent suspicions, particularly during the COVID-19 pandemic.

At present, officials of government departments are afraid to act because they might subpoenaed to appear in congressional hearings because of allegations of corruption or mishandling of their budgets, Go, chairman of the Senate Health committee, said.

President Duterte and several senators led by Senate Minority Leader Franklin M. Drilon and Senator Richard J. Gordon, chairman of the Senate Blue Ribbon are at loggerheads on who should be held responsible for the ‘’syndicated’’ plunder of P42 billion through the alleged overpriced purchase by choice bidders of COVID 19-related medical supplies done by the Procurement Service Department of Budget and Management (PS-DBM).

Senator wanted to know where did the money go.

At the vortex of the feud is resigned PS-DBM chief Lloyd Christopher Lao, a lawyer and a resident of Davao just like President Duterte and Go.

Go strongly denied that Lao was his former aide.

In a related development, Go said the on-going hybrid public hearing by the Senate Blue Ribbon committee is premature because the report of the Commission on Audit (COA) on the ‘’incompetent’’ handling of P68 billion COVID-19 related funds late last month is not yet final.

Go said the COA has given the DOH 60 days to answer or clarify its findings.

The Senate committee goes into its fourth hearing next week.

‘’Ang nangyari ngayon nagagamit ng politika, nagagamit sa paninira, sinakayan na po ng lahat (What happened was that politics got into the action). Tandaan nyo po ang sinabi ko ..pagkatapos po ng COA findings, by October 8, halos lahat po ng nagparticipate dyan lahat po ng tumira dyan may involvement sa election (Remember, when the COA findings is complete, almost all who participated in public hearing has political plans as the filing of certificate of candidacy is on October 8),’’ he said.

‘’Doon niyo lang makikita kung sakaling mahaluan ng politika (That is when you see politics had a hand). It’s about timing lang po, pero tayo isa tayo dito laban ng korapsyon (It is about timing but we are all against corruption). Ulitin ko parating sinasabi ni Pangulo at sabi ko sa privilege speech ko mag may kasalanan po kahit

sino ka pa, kahit saan ka nangaling, kahit galing sa Davao, panangutin po (I repeat what I and President Duterte have been saying that no matter who you are or whether you are from Davao, you will be held liable),’’ he said.

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