House Minority Leader Danilo Suarez is urging Majority Leader Rolando Andaya Jr. to summon Budget Secretary Benjamin Diokno should he ignore the panel hearing on the alleged anomalous practices in the national budget this Tuesday.
He called on the House committee on rules led by Andaya to compel Diokno to attend the hearing and explain the supposed P75-billion insertions under the proposed 2019 P3.757-trillion national budget.
“We must [compel Diokno]. Definitely, if he fails to attend, he should be subpoenaed,” Suarez said.
Andaya invited Diokno and several others as resource persons to attend the resumption of the inquiry in the supposed budget insertions on Jan. 15.
Subpoenas were sent to senior officials of the Department of Public Works and Highways, Anti-Money Laundering Council, Bureau of Internal Revenue and Department of Budget and Management.
Also asked to appear in the inquiry was Francis Clemente, who allegedly acted as the liaison officer of C.T. Leoncio Construction, Diokno’s alleged favored contractor.
House Speaker Gloria Macapagal Arroyo said President Rodrigo Duterte had never asked her to stop the House probe on Diokno.
In a recent meeting with the President, she said, only the important priority measures were discussed to ensure the delivery of his campaign promises to the public.
She said the President respected the legislative functions of Congress.
A week ago, Suarez said the supposed P10-billion pork barrel scam of businesswoman Janet Lim Napoles was just a small amount or a “petty cash” transaction compared to the alleged P332-billion flood control scam under Diokno’s leadership.
Diokno denied the P332-billion flood control projects scam being claimed by Andaya, who said Diokno inserted billions of funds to the flood control projects of Public Works without the knowledge of Secretary Mark Villar.
