Palace insists DAP is legal, approved by PNoy
(Updated 5:38 p.m.) Malacañang said on Tuesday President Aquino approved the Disbursement Acceleration Program (DAP) and dismissed threats to impeach the President over the controversial program.
“The President was aware and gave his approval for the DAP,” Deputy Presidential spokesperson Abigail Valte said in a press briefing.
The Palace also insisted that there is legal basis for using the government savings for the DAP.
Valte said the Constitution gives the President the authority to use, or realign those savings.
“Legal basis, Article 6, Section 25, paragraph 5. The part of it that says, ‘however, the President, the President of the Senate, the speaker of the House of Representatives, the Chief Justice of the Supreme Court, and Heads of Constitutional Commission may, by law, be authorized to augment any item in the General Appropriations law for their respective offices from savings in other items of their respective appropriations’,” Valte said.
Valte also cited the 1987 Administration Code.
"Sec. 39 talks about the Authority to Use Savings in Appropriations to Cover Deficits. Priority activities that will promote the economic well being of the nation, including food production, agrarian reform, energy development, disaster relief, and rehabilitation. The heading of Sec. 49 is Authority to Use Savings for Certain Purposes. That is the legal basis of the DAP."
Valte also insisted that the DAP is not pork barrel but a program designed to increase government spending and spur economic growth.
"The DAP, hindi po siya fund source. Isa po siyang programa kung saan ina-indentify nung nagsimula noong 2011 yung mga fast moving projects na pwede pa pong lagyan ng additional funding from savings.
The Palace and the DAP have been criticized in the past few days. Sen. Miriam Defensor-Santiago and former National Tresurer Leonor Briones both said the DAP must be audited. Former senator Joker Arroyo also insisted the DAP was unconstitutional. This is the 2nd day the Palace has have to defend the DAP.
The use of DAP was also put on hold along with the pork barrel.
READ MORE: Joker on DAP: Criminal, unconstitutional
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