By Janice M. Cave
MANILA, (PNA) — A Palace official on Monday said the public should focus on holding accountable those who misused public funds instead of questioning the legality and use of the controversial Disbursement Acceleration Program (DAP).
Presidential Spokesperson Edwin Lacierda said the more important issue is going after those who pocketed and misused public funds.
“Ang dapat managot sa DAP, sa realigned savings ay ang mga taong… those who did not use the funds properly and those who stole the people’s money and I agree that they should be prosecuted,” Lacierda told a media briefing.
Lacierda maintained that the DAP has legal and constitutional basis and said the Aquino administration is ready to defend its use.
“We are on firm footing and we can defend. Kada administrasyon may realigned savings po ‘yan,” he said.
“We can assure the Filipino people that this government uses the funds responsibly. The focus are and should be on those people who misused the funds,” he added.
Two petitions against the DAP are currently pending before the Supreme Court.
Sen. Jinggoy Estrada revealed the use of DAP in a privilege speech two weeks ago, saying senators who voted to convict former Chief Justice Renato Corona were given P50 million each.
Lacierda said some groups are trying to divert the public’s attention away from the “pork barrel” scam by magnifying the issue on DAP.
“Binabaluktot ang issue eh. They deny, they obscure, they misdirect. Nililihis nila ang issue kaya DOM po sila,” he said.