Palace rejects House resolution calling for Diokno's removal
Malacanang turned down on Thursday the call of the House of Representatives to fire Budget Secretary Benjamin Diokno over issues on the proposed budget for next year.
In a statement, Presidential Spokesperson Salvador Panelo said Duterte continues to trust the Budget chief.
"While we respect House Resolution No. 2365 which urges the Office of the President to reconsider the appointment of Department of Budget and Management (DBM) Secretary Benjamin Diokno as an expression of sentiment from a separate branch of the government, we similarly wish to express that the President continues to trust the Budget Secretary and the confidence reposed on him remains unimpaired," he said.
He even defended Diokno, saying the Cabinet official's record in government service, "to the mind of the Chief Executive and of the rest of his cabinet, is unblemished."
"As one of the Administration's economic managers, PRRD (Duterte) considers him as one of the best and brightest in his official family. Sec. Diokno's reputation as an upright, competent and honest public servant stays solid up to this day," he added.
In the House resolution, which was adopted on Wednesday, the lawmakers said Diokno, during the Question Hour on Tuesday, failed to fully address the issue on the supposed P75 billion increase on the proposed budget of the Department of Public Works and Highways without the knowledge of Secretary Mark Villar.
Diokno also failed to explain how one contractor was able to bag huge contracts in government, including in Sorsogon.
Diokno's daughter's parents-in-law will run for local posts in the Bicol province in the 2019 polls.
Diokno, in his regular forum on Wednesday, however, denied any irregularity, saying his office only approves budgets according to the agency's proposal.
"We do not scrutinize line by line because we do not have the technical expertise. We do not examine every project that's listed there...that's the job of DPWH," Diokno has said.
Panelo said should the House feel that there was an irregularity in the allocation of the budget, it could always correct it and the lawmakers have also the option of recommending the filing of charges against those they deem are responsible for the transgression should the same amount to a crime.
"Congress, to which the power of the purse rightfully belongs, has the constitutional duty to scrutinize the budget and even has the power to revise or amend proposals found in it," he said.
The executive as an independent branch of government, Panelo also said that Congress should also respect Duterte's decision to have Diokno as his Budget chief.
"In the same manner that the President doesn’t tell Congress who it will choose as its officers and how to go about it, we wish that its members return the same courtesy," Panelo stressed. Celerina Monte/DMS
