Senate Minority Leader Franklin M. Drilon on Thursday September 16 sought the deferment of ‘’unnecessary’’ government projects until 2023 to finance responses to the COVID-19 pandemic.
‘’We will follow the same tack in other budgets. We need all the money. You will not suffer,’’ Drilon told Jose Ruperto Martin M. Andanar. Secretary of the Presidential Communications Operations Office (PCOO), when Andanar presented PCOO’s proposed 2022 budget of P1.9 billion to the Senate finance sub-committee ‘’G’’ chaired by Senator Richard J. Gordon.
Drilon also told his colleagues that he would continue pressing for the defunding of the National Task Force to End Local Communist Insurgency (NTF-ELCAC) which has a proposed 2022 budget of P28 billion as against its current budget of P16.5 billion for its anti-insurgency program.
He questioned the rationale for the construction of a media hub in Mandaue city in the Visayas, which Drilon labeled as propaganda hubs, worth P200 million amid a pandemic.
Aside from the P200 million for the construction of the Visayas media hub, the PCOO has also allocated P50 million for a training academy in Bukidnon.
“I think a rational assessment would tell you that these are not urgent projects – putting up a building to house an academy for propaganda and another P50 million as MOOE for another propaganda,” Drilon said.
“We have been hearing the budget and it is very obvious that we need funds for COVID-19 response. Every single peso of resources should go to COVID-19 response and the much-needed vaccines,” he added.
To avoid suspicions of state-funded troll farms, Drilon demanded records of 1,479 contractual employees of the Palace’s communications group, 375 of which work at the Presidential Communications Operations Office (PCOO) that were recently flagged by the Commission on Audit (COA).
These records should include their names, addresses, job descriptions, daily time records, place of assignment, date of engagement and functions, other senators demanded.
Drilon aired his suspicion that these contractual employees could be “trolls”.
“Ito yung mga troll?” Drilon asked lightly. “Hindi mo naman aaminin na may troll kayo.”
In the PCOO alone, PCOO Undersecretary Kristian Ablan confirmed they had hired 375 employees with a “contract of service” status with a budget of P76 million.
But Drilon found that “odd” considering that they have huge vacancies in their plantilla positions. Only 2,107 out of 3,883 plantilla positions have been filled up.
The PCOO and its eight attached agencies are asking for P1.9 billion for 2022 from its present budget of P1.62 billion. Of which, the PCOO is allocated with P740.62 million from P502.28 million this year; the Bureau of Broadcast Service with P456.03 million from P405.53 million; the Bureau of Communications Services with P70.59 million from P68.62 million; the National Printing Office with P9.13 million from P11.89 million; the News and Information Bureau with P129.20 million from P133.12 million; the Philippines Information Agency with P333.54 million from P317.60 million; and the RTVM with P171.86 million from P178.79 million.
Drilon asked for proof that the 1,479 temporary hires are “legitimate and existing” and not “ghost employees”, specifically the 375 employees in the PCOO that were flagged by COA. He asked the PCOO to submit their records, including their names, addresses and job description. The committee also asked for the employees’ daily time record.
Ablan said they would comply but would have to seek the opinion of their legal office if the addresses can be provided, citing the Data Privacy Act.
But Drilon quickly countered the undersecretary, saying that there are public funds involved.
“These are public records and you are asking for public funds. You better provide us with these documents that we need in order for us to be convinced that this budget will be properly used,” Drilon said.
“So, don’t invoke any confidentiality here, because these are public funds and these are subject to audit and if these are subject to audit, these are subject to scrutiny by the branch of the government who is holding the purse,” the former justice secretary said.
“You are asking for the appropriation of public funds and it is our right to know. As part of our right to know, it is to make sure that they are not fictitious names,” he added.
“Even if they are trolls, we will accept that as long as they are legitimate and existing. We are not asking for their fingerprints, mind you,” he said.
Meanwhile, Drilon questioned the rationale for the construction of a media hub in the Visayas, which Drilon labeled as propaganda hubs, worth P200 million amid a pandemic.
Aside from the P200 million for the construction of the Visayas media hub, the PCOO has also allocated P50 million for a training academy in Bukidnon.
“I think a rational assessment would tell you that these are not urgent projects – putting up a building to house an academy for propaganda and another P50 million as MOOE for another propaganda,” Drilon said.
“We have been hearing the budget and it is very obvious that we need funds for COVID-19 response. Every single peso of resources should go to COVID-19 response and the much-needed vaccines,” Drilon added.
Gordon said that he already questioned last why is building a training center for a Government Communications Academy.
‘’When you become a journalist, you should be a graduate from schools who offer Mass Communication degree. Hindi ako sang-ayon sa pagtayo ng akademya na ito,’’ he pointed out.
“I find it strange that you’re hiring a lot more people in terms of proportion. Bakit ganon karami (why so many?),’’ he asked.
Gordon said PCOO is only in the process of following ‘’the rites of budget’’ process as some senators are’ ’upset by the PCOO budget.’’