President Aquino yesterday ferociously defended the controversial Disbursement Acceleration Program (DAP) despite the Supreme Court ruling that it violated the Constitution as he vowed to appeal the high court’s decision.
“We will appeal the decision of the Supreme Court,” Aquino said in his speech delivered in Filipino, adding that the Executive will soon file a motion for reconsideration.
Facing the public for the first time since the DAP was declared unconstitutional, Aquino, in a televised speech, remained adamant that the now defunct DAP benefited the people through the construction of infrastructure and funding of relevant programs.
“Mabuti ang DAP. Tama ang intensyon. Tama ang pamamaraan. Tama ang resulta,” Aquino insisted during his 23-minute speech. (DAP is right. The intention is right. The means were right. The result was right.)
He reiterated that Section 39 of the 1987 Administrative Code justified the DAP through the following provision: “Except as otherwise provided in the General Appropriations Act, any savings in the regular appropriations authorized in the General Appropriations Act for programs and projects of any department, office or agency, may, with the approval of the President, be used to cover a deficit in any other item of the regular appropriations….”
Aquino said he is hoping that the Supreme Court will side with them after they read the motion for reconsideration.
However, he also somehow seemingly warned the judiciary when he said, “We do not want this to reach the point when the two equal branches of government clash.”
Without elaborating, he told the Supreme Court: “There was something that you did in the past, which you tried to do again, and there are those who are saying that [the DAP decision] is worse.”
Not since he vigorously campaigned for the removal of Chief Justice Renato Corona in 2011 and 2012 that Mr. Aquino had spoken so strongly against the Supreme Court.
Aquino also criticized the part of the SC ruling questioning the Executive’s “good faith.” Where is the principle of “innocent until proven guilty”? Aquino asked.
On July 1, the Supreme Court said the DAP, which allegedly aimed to pump prime the economy, violated the Constitution by withdrawing unobligated allotments from agencies and declaring the amount as saving, allowing cross-border transfers of savings from the Executive to other offices, funding of projects and programs not specified in the General Appropriations Act and the use of unprogrammed funds without certification from the National Treasurer.
Before the ruling, the DAP has been linked to the pork barrel scam.
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