Rhetorical na rin itong problema ng baha at sa tuwing may bagyo o malakas ang ulan ay tiyak lulubog ang malaking bahagi ng Metro-Manila. Pero sino nga ba ang dapat sisihin sa ganitong kalamidad? Unang pipiyok ang Metropolitan Manila Development Authority at ang pamahalaan at agad na ibabato ang sisi sa mga squatter at sa iba pang mga Pilipino na nagtatapon ng kanilang basura sa mga estero at kanal. Sa ganang akin, ang dapat sisihin dito ay MMDA mismo, ang pamahalaan at ang Department of Public Works and Highways dahil wala silang mahusay na flood control system!
Puro satsat at trapiko sa EDSA Avenue at ang mga dambuhalang bus ang pinagtitripan ng MMDA sa halip na atupagin ang maayos na flood control upang matigil na ang sobrang pagbaha sa mga lansangan. Maaari naman linyahan ito ng sapat na pondo upang maisaayos ang flood control sa mga lugar na madalas bahain, kabilang na ang Navotas!
SA KUWESTYON naman ng pork barrel, aba eh laganap na ngayon ang panawagan na ibasura na ang pagbibigay ng pondo o ng Priority Development Assistance Fund o PDAF sa mga kongresista – P70 milyon – at senador – P200 milyon bawat taon. Kung hindi pa sumingaw ang anomalya sa mga kahina-hinalang proyekto na ibat-bang nongovernmental organizations na nakinabang sa pork barrel ay hindi pa malalaman ng sambayan ang maling katotohanan.
Halos P10 bilyon ang ngayon ay sinusuri ng pamahalaan sa mga transaksyon ng mga NGOs na may kinalaman sa proyekto na nakuha mula sa mga mambatatas na diumano’y pinakinabangan rin nila dahil sa mga porsyentong nakuha.
Eh si Pangulong Noynoy Aquino nga umano ay umaabot sa P1 trilyon ang pork barrel at hindi na kataka-taka kung bakit mahigpit ang hawak nito sa kanyang sariling kaban. Sinabi pa ng Kongreso na iimbestigahan ang maanomalyang PDAF ng mga mambabatas in aid of legislation, cojones!
Malabong maimbestigahan ang sariling kabaro ukol sa mga anomaly na kinapapalooban ng PDAF. Ang siste nga naman eh baka nagmamalinis ang iba eh yun pala ay puno rin ng putik ang kanilang mga kamay. Kung ang dahilan ng mga mambabatas ay para sa mga soft projects ang PDAF eh ang sagot ko naman ay maaari naman itong makuha sa pamahalaan sa kaparehong halaga. Ang importante ay mai-alis sa kamay ninyo ang PDAF at pabayaan sa mga ahensya ng pamahalaan ang mga proyekto. Ang trabaho naman ninyo ay gumawa ng batas!
Basta salapi na nga ang nanaig ay kahit ang sariling anino ay gugulangan pa!
So, ingat sa mga kaduda-dubang NGOs. Maraming mga grupo diyan ang kumukuha ng pork barrel sa ibang bansa at kung anu-anong isyu ang ginagamit upang mai-justify ang release ng mga pondo. Ang dami niyan at yun mga iba eh ay talagang nagkukumahog na gumawa ng isyu at ginagamit pa ang media para sa kanilang interest!
NAGLABAS ANG COA ng ulat nito ukol sa disbursements ng mga pondo sa Autonomous Region in Muslim Mindanao o ARMM at ayon sa website ng Commission on Audit na makikita sa link na ito -http://www.coa.gov.ph/GWSPA/2010/special_audit.asp – ay sinasabing: “The audit concluded that funds received by the ORG (Office of the Regional Governor) for its own operation were not properly utilized and managed taking into consideration applicable laws, rules and regulations. Moreover, transactions amounting to P1.003 billion may not be considered valid and legitimate as these were supported with documents that may be considered spurious.”
Ito pa ang nasilip ng COA: “The total disregard of applicable laws, rules and regulations are evident in the following cases:
• Cash advances granted to the disbursing officers amounting to P866.513 million, represents 80 percent of the total disbursements of the ORG. This indicates a total disregard of the general rule that payments must be made by check. Significant amounts of these cash advances were granted on the date of, or within five days upon, receipt of funds. These were also granted without specific purpose and used for payments in amounts ranging from P15,172 to as high as P5.5 million. In a number of instances, a highly improbable daily cash payments range from P7.0 million to as high as P13.48 million, to purported payees from Cotabato City, Zamboanga City and Metro Manila. At one point, one accountable officer was holding P99.881 million in cash, which may already be considered unconscionable in view of the risks involved in maintaining such amount.
• Purchases above P250,000 to as high as P5.0 million, in the aggregate amount of P650.987 million, were not subjected to public bidding in violation of RA 9184. There is, therefore, no assurance that the most reasonable cost for the government is obtained. These were merely supported with three price quotations from various suppliers, without any indicated addresses in most cases. Thus, existence of the supposed participating suppliers could not be verified. These procurements were among those paid in cash out of the cash advances of Mr. Patadon, Special Disbursing Officer. These transactions were also not adequately documented to establish their necessity and legitimacy.
• Majority of the programs and projects funded out of the Special Purpose Fund (SPF) of the Regional Governor were not implemented as P153.49 million, representing 95 percent of the funds intended therefor, were used in the procurement of relief goods, medicines, construction materials, and for payment of catering services which have a total allocation of only around P10.7 million. These transactions are also among those not subjected to public bidding, not fully documented and paid out of cash advances.
• Receipts and disbursements out of trust funds amounting to P50.128 million and disbursements out of MDS accounts amounting to P2.944 million were not recorded in the books of the ORG. Moreover, disbursements amounting to P35.505 million and P180.364 million out of MDS accounts and trust funds, respectively, were not documented. There were no disbursement vouchers forwarded to the team for audit.
• The maintenance of Manila Liaison Office at a cost of around P29.256 million from January 2008 to September 2009 may not be considered reasonable. The extraordinary high expenses may have been due to maintaining an office in an exclusive village with 45 personnel, grant of unauthorized transportation allowances, and uncontrolled and questionable traveling and meal expenses.
• The grant of travelling allowance was not in accordance with the provisions of EO No. 298 dated March 23, 2004, as amended and COA Circular No. 96-004 dated April 19, 1996. This resulted in total claims exceeding the allowable expenses by a total of P5.914 million for the period January 2008 to September 2009. In a number of instances, travel claims have overlapping duration and insufficient supporting documents. Of the total cash advances for travel of P9.008 million, P1.334 million remained unliquidated as of audit date in further violation of Section 14 of EO No. 298, as amended.
Grabe ang laki ng salaping nalustay sa ARMM at sa tanggapan pa lang ng Gobernador ay nakakalula na ang limpak-limpak na kuwarta na kinukuwestyon ng COA. Hindi na rin nakakapagtaka kung bakit walang asensyo ang ARMM dahil sa puno at ugat ang problema! Hanggang sa susunod mga kaibigan, opinyon lang!
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