More than a year after
Nancy asks TG: What happened to requests for PDAF documents?

A year later, requests for pork barrel-related documents remain unanswered.

Senator Nancy Binay today expressed disappointment with the way the Blue Ribbon Committee gives preference to requests made by Administration senators.

Binay said she could hardly understand the apparent inaction on the part of Blue Ribbon Committee chairman Senator Teofisto Guingona III, on her repeated requests for certain documents on questionable releases under the Priority Development Assistance Fund (PDAF) and Various Infrastructures Including Local Projects (VILP).

"How long does it take for the Blue Ribbon Committee to get the documents it needs on PDAF? It has been more than a year since I requested for documents pertaining to the releases of PDAF and VILP funds--pero hanggang ngayon ni isang piraso ng report eh wala pa akong nahahawakan," she said.

"Hindi po ba dapat ay pantay-pantay ang pagtrato ng Blue Ribbon Committee sa lahat ng mga kasong dinidinig nito? Bakit pag kakampi ang bilis ibigay ang requests?" Binay lamented, "hindi po pwedeng bibitiwan na nila at wala na silang pakialam sa naunang kaso kapag nakahanap na sila ng mas sensationalized na kaso."

By the way the hearings are conducted, Binay said the Blue Ribbon Committee has ceased to be an independent and non-partisan panel, and has instead become a lowbrow jury concentrating on loose talks.

"Kaya sana po ay alalahanin nina Sen. TG ang papel niya bilang chairman at huwag hayaang maging one-sided ang imbestigasyon ng Blue Ribbon. Inumpisahan nila ang pagdinig sa PDAF, kung may mga isyu pang hindi nalulutas, dapat po ay tingnan nila ito at hindi ipagwalangbahala na lamang," Binay further said.

Since September 12, 2013, the lady senator has been asking for the documents on 1) the P69.261 billion released to the Department of Budget of Public Works and Highways ROs and DEOs for the VILP for CY 2007 to 2009 which could not be accounted to a specific legislator; 2) the P1.126 billion released for PDAF which could not be accounted to a specific legislator; 3) the P6.5 million released from Other Sources such as Financial Assistance (FA) to Local Government Units and Budgetary Support to Government Owned and Controlled Corporations; and 4) the complete summary of schedule of releases from PDAF per legislator and Implementing Agencies for CY 2007 to CY 2009. (please see attachments)

Guingona's first reply only came November 7, 2013; telling Binay of the committee's transmittal of the request for the said documents from the Department of Budget and Management (DBM).

It was on December 13, 2013 that the DBM sent Binay its reply to her request but the letter only held the findings of the Commission on Audit (COA) report on the PDAF and VILP.

The DBM told the lady senator that it still had to validate the COA findings and that a DBM Task Force had been formed for this purpose. It further informed Binay that the findings of the Task Force would still had to be presented to the COA before it could be sent to the senator's office.

"I am curious as to why the DBM still needs to go over its Task Force's findings with COA when the documents I am asking for is from the DBM. Is it not sure of its reports on the PDAF and VILP? Is the DBM trying to hide details of its transactions from the Blue Ribbon Committee?" Binay asked.

On February 17, 2014 Binay wrote Guingona again, reiterating her request for the aforementioned documents. She received a reply from Guingona on February 20, 2014; repeating that her request had already been referred to the DBM and that another letter would be sent in order to follow up on her request.

On April 7, 2014, Binay sent a letter to Guingona to reiterate her request and Proposed Resolution No. 254 which she filed seeking to expand the PDAF scam inquiry to include the release of public funds by national government agencies, local government units, government-owned or controlled corporations and their subsidiaries to NGOs/POs.

Binay wrote Guingona again on May 12, 2014 to reiterate her request and state that she finds the draft report of the Blue Ribbon Committee on the PDAF scam as "premature as it is based on incomplete and inconclusive data."

"What we all want is to solve this case once and for all. We should not leave any issue unsolved. We should not stop with Napoles when there are so much more NGOs involved in this scam," the senator said.

"Hindi po dapat mamili ang Blue Ribbon Committee ng kasong didinggin nito. Ang PDAF po ay isa sa malalaking issue na dapat mabigyan ng atensyon ng komite ni Senator TG. Sa tingin ko po ay importante ang mga dokumentong hinihingi ko upang mas maintindihan natin ang nangyari sa PDAF scam. Importante pong malaman natin kung alin pang mga NGO ang sangkot dito sa mga maanomalyang transaksyon, hindi po dapat ito magtapos kay Napoles," Binay maintained.