October 15, 2009, 6:13pm
Senator Edgardo J. Angara, chairman of the Senate finance committee, called on Thursday on the Department of National Defense and the National Disaster Coordinating Council (NDCC) to avoid misallocation of the P12-billion calamity fund that the Senate, in a bipartisan show of concern for typhoon victims and damaged or destroyed government infrastructures that need immediate rehabilitation, approved in plenary session last Wednesday.“We have to clearly delineate our funds among the multitude of relief and rehabilitation needs. We should keep in mind that no matter how fluid the flow of foreign and domestic aid money is, we cannot afford to be careless in spending these critical resources,” Angara said.
Senate President Juan Ponce Enrile said the Senate, on motion of opposition
Senator Alan Peter S. Cayetano, created a congressional oversight committee to oversee the flow and usage of the multi-billion-peso fund.
Senate Minority Leader Aquilino Q. Pimentel Jr. withdrew last Wednesday his proposed transitory provision calling for the resignation of Defense Secretary Gilbert Teodoro as NDCC head to erase any misimpression that he would politically benefit from it because he is a presidential bet of the Arroyo administration.
Pimentel’s change of heart came after he talked to Teodoro through a cell phone at the Senate hall where the DND chief assured him that he would be leaving his post long before the first inflow of calamity funds. The withdrawal of his objection paved the way for the approval of the P12 billion calamity fund.
Source: http://mb.com.ph/articles/224894/angara-avoid-misallocation-fund
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