By Prince Golez
Manila Reporter
MANILA – The Senate Committee on Finance on Friday requested Secretary of Budget Florencio “Butch” Abad to appear before its hearing next week.
The senate’s investigation on the controversial Disbursement Acceleration Program (DAP) is set on July 21 to July 24. Abad is scheduled to appear on July 24.
Committee chair Francis Escudero, however, said Abad, in a letter dated July 17, 2014, requested that his senate appearance be moved to July 30.
Abad wants to testify on the said date as he is “in the midst of finalizing the Proposed 2015 Budget, and the President’s Budget Message that will be submitted to Congress on July 30,” Escudero quoted Abad as saying.
The senator insisted that the secretary should appear in his July 24 hearing as his committee already had the schedule changed to a later date.
In his letter, Abad also said he is involved in drafting President Aquino’s 2014 State of the Nation Address (SONA) speech.
Aquino’s SONA is on Monday, July 28./PN
