In Photo: Rep. Isidro T. Ungab and Sen. Imee Marcos. They saw the blanks what other cannot.
- “Magicians” in the Palace or HoR filled up the blanks?
Former Chairman of the Appropriation Committee of the House of Representatives, Davao City 3rd District Representative Isidro T. Ungab issued a rejoinder to his stand on the controversy over the blank amounts of expenditures in the Bicameral Committee Report.
In a formal statement he stressed that he takes it as his serious duty and responsibility to study and scrutinize the national budget. “This is about the money of the people and we should leave no room in appropriating them with error, irregularity or malice”. Ungab said.
He said that when he got hold of a copy of the Bicameral Committer Report, which is the basis for GAA2025 signed by its members, he was shocked that there were blank amounts on certain expenditures of agencies and unprogrammed items.
Ungab explained that the signed Bicameral Report constituted the final version of the reconciled separate versions by the House and the Senate. Meaning it is supposed to be GAA2025 itself minus the President’s message and signature.
The former Appropriation Committee Chair argued that the signed Bicam Report was exposed as it is their duty and adherence to Transparency and Accountability during the podcast with former President Rodrigo Duterte, Atty Vic Rodriguez and Atty Martin Delgra at Basta Dabawenyo.
Ungab said that he was surprised by the reactions from Malacanang which he enunciated “were off tangent”.
Congressman Ungab said that both “Executive Secretary Lucas Bersamin and President Bongbong Marcos were out of order”. They skirted the issue by asserting there were no blanks in the GAA2025. They labeled our revelation as “fake news” and the former president as “lying”, he said.
Ungab however underlined the fact that no “amount of evasion and distraction will cure the fatal defects of how the GAA2025 was enacted into law”.
The Davao Congressman recalled that as early as December 16, no less than the elder and Presidential sister, Sen Imee Marcos, has strongly rejected signing the Bicam Report it having in her own words “lack of documents and having blanks” in it.
According to Congressman Ungab, the issue is very clear – the blanks in the signed Bicam Report not the signed GAA2025. But in between the signing of these two vital public documents, the fundamental guide for our disbursement of public funds for this year, something went wrong. “Magicians were at play” he said.
Ungab contends that there were persons or a group of people who filled up these blank items clearly shown in the signed Bicam Report. “Who are they?” Ungab asked. “Clearly, they usurped the sole power and responsibility of congress to appropriate public funds”, he stressed
Ungab said, “This is not just irregular, in the words of the former President (Duterte) who is a veteran prosecutor, “criminal.”
In concluding his rejoinder statement Congressman Ungab said, “I say it is the sworn duty of both the President and the Executive Secretary to ferret out, unmasked these criminals and make to account for their misrepresentation, usurpation of Congress and falsification of public documents.
They must act swiftly less confidence in government will be eroded with conclusions we are playing with and squandering the people’s money”, Ungab added .
In the meanwhile a number of lawmakers had came out in the open to confirm that they too have received copies of the GAA with blank entries. UNTV has also obtained a copy of the GAA with blanks but had been signed by Bicam members.
Vice Gov. Oyo Uy is running for congressman in the 1st District and his popularity on his own is a big threat to Jubahib especially now that his relationship with Alvarez has become irreconcilable. Mayor Uy and VG Uy are allied with Alan Dujali under Lakas-CMD.
