BY PRINCE GOLEZ
Manila Reporter
MANILA – Cong. Jerry Treñas of Iloilo City admitted having been allocated P10 million worth of infrastructure projects “several months” after he signed the impeachment complaint against then Chief Justice Renato Corona.
Treñas, however, denied the funding was a “reward” for anti-Corona legislators.
He also said he wasn’t sure if the P10 million was derived from the Department of Budget and Management-designed Disbursement Acceleration Program (DAP).
So where did the P10 million go?
Treñas said the P10 million was for a “farm-to-market” road in Iloilo City’s Jaro district.
He, however, failed to give more details of the project.
Treñas also said he wasn’t sure if only congressmen who signed the impeachment complaint against Corona were allotted P10 million each.
“We were not forced to sign the impeachment complaint,” he clarified to Panay News.
But Treñas admitted that members of the House majority enjoyed some perks.
“Kun upod sa majority sa Congress, may dugang-dugang gid man na,” he said.
The Supreme Court declared the DAP unconstitutional on July 1.
What if the Supreme Court asks him to return the P10 million?
“Dalan ato, ano pagbalik mo (It was spent for a road project. How can you return that),” Treñas said.
An hour before President Benigno Aquino III defended DAP in a national address on Monday, the Budget department disclosed that among the projects the controversial program funded were the Jalaur River Multipurpose Project – Phase II in Calinog, Iloilo and the housing for relocated informal settlers in Jaro, Iloilo City.
For his part, Cong. Niel “Jun-jun” Tupas Jr. of Iloilo’s 5th District did not confirm nor deny that he was also allocated a certain sum for projects under DAP.
In 2012, Tupas served as the head of the House prosecution panel in Corona’s impeachment trial.
“I will check with the Department of Budget and Management if my district received any fund from DAP,” Tupas told Panay News.
Earlier, Iloilo City’s Sen. Franklin Drilon said his P100-million DAP funds were allocated for the construction of Iloilo Convention Center in Iloilo City./PN
