By SAMMY JULIAN
Manila News Bureau Chief
MANILA – President Benigno Aquino III is scheduled to deliver a public address on “current national issues” tomorrow.
His administration will attempt to deflect stinging criticisms over the P140.8-billion fiscal stimulus measure – the Disbursement Acceleration Program (DAP) – whose key items were recently declared illegal by the Supreme Court..
“He will deliver the speech in Malacañan Palace at 6 p.m.,” said Presidential Communications Operations Secretary Herminio Coloma Jr. yesterday.
Coloma also requested broadcast networks “to air the President’s speech.”
The Aquino government has been under intense pressure to make certain public officials accountable for illegal actions on DAP as well as release of the breakdown of spending from 2011 to 2013.
On Friday, President Aquino decided to keep Budget Secretary Florencio Abad in his Cabinet as he stood firmly behind the positive effects of the DAP on the economy.
The President rejected Abad’s offer to resign, saying accepting his resignation would imply he was wrong in implementing the DAP.
“To accept his resignation is to assign him a wrong and I cannot accept the notion that doing right by our people is a wrong,” Aquino said.
Breaking his silence on the issue, Abad expressed his gratitude to President Aquino for his continued trust and confidence and chose “to defer to his better judgment” and stay.
Aside from declaring the DAP as unconstitutional, the Supreme Court also warned that author, proponents and implementors of DAP could be held liable if they cannot prove good faith.
Under DAP, the Aquino government realigned savings to bankroll fast-moving projects endorsed by agencies and lawmakers.
The P140.8 billion-DAP was supposedly designed to boost economic growth from 2011 to 2013.
Malacañang has defended the beneficial effects of the fiscal stimulus measure, saying it exercised good faith in implementing the program.
The Palace also claimed there was no misuse of the 91 percent of the DAP funds on the part of the executive branch. A list of the DAP-funded projects will also be released at the appropriate time amid calls for transparency and accountability./PN
