Joker: Everybody's to blame, including Ping

BY DENNIS GADIL

ADMINISTRATION Sen. Joker Arroyo yesterday told Sen. Panfilo Lacson to stop playing the hero in the alleged double entry of a P200 million road project in the 2008 national budget because he and all the senators were guilty of negligence.

"Ngayon sasabihin nila, nalusutan. All right, but be careful next time. Huwag kang pa hero-hero pagkatapos ng katangahan," Arroyo said over radio dzBB.

Lacson, Loren Legarda, Jamby Madrigal and Mar Roxas made up the Senate panel in the bicameral conference committee when the 2008 national budget was under scrutiny.

Arroyo said the Senate must accept responsibility for Lacson's new discovery of a total of P4.126 billion in congressional insertions in the 2008 national budget.

"Four billion pesos? You mean to say four billion pesos hindi nila napuna? Naaprubahan 'yan. Ano'ng katangahan 'yun? Tapos ngayon pa hero-hero. No way," Arroyo said.

"Tatlong opportunities, tatlong okasyon na tinignan 'yun, wala silang sinasabi," he said.

Arroyo said the first opportunity was during the bicameral deliberations, the second was when it was approved and signed in the bicameral panel, and third was during the national budget's ratification.

He said all the senators who voted for the 2008 national budget could not escape responsibility because they had many opportunities to stop the alleged congressional insertions.

"Lahat kami may responsibility. Lahat kami pumirma."

Arroyo was one of the four vice chairmen of the finance committee who voted for the national budget.

Arroyo said what happened in the C-5/ Carlos P. Garcia road extension project was actually an amendment made by the Senate to the House-approved, Malacañang-proposed national budget.

He said the correct term was double appropriation and not double entry.

"The double appropriation was an amendment. Insertions are in effect an amendment," Arroyo said.

He said the Constitution has empowered the Senate to effect amendments in the national budget submitted by the Malacañang and approved by the House of Representatives.

Arroyo maintained that the road extension project was reflected in separate pages and under different names to differentiate the first P200 million initiative of Malacañang and the second P200 million outlay as the initiative of the Senate.

Lacson said Sen. Arroyo should not be quick to blame the members of the budget bicameral panel for the double entry scandal.

"Panggulo si Joker. Totoo 'yun na napalusutan. Sino'ng mag-aakalang may maghuhudas sa amin?" he said.

He also said Arroyo should not compare the P200 million to a molehill.

"It's a big molehill na hindi pwede akyatin ng taong bayan," he said.

Lacson said his exposé today would rebut the assertion of the Department of Public Works and Highways that the road project has two components, including a flyover infrastructure, which necessitated the additional P200 million.

He said the assertion of the DPWH contradicts the admission of Budget Secretary Rolando Andaya that there was indeed a double entry and that no funds would be released.

Lacson insisted that the real motive was to cash in on the additional P200 million funding had it not been exposed by him.