CHAIRMAN of the House committee on appropriations Rep. Eric Go Yap wants to fully exercise the oversight function of Congress to help government curb corruption.
For his first move, Yap said he will propose before the bicameral conference committee to cut or even scrap the budget of government agencies proven to have involvement in illegal activities.
“Malinaw ang panawagan ng Pangulo na imbestigahan ang mga katiwalian sa pamahalaan and I support this effort 100 percent,” Yap said in a statement.
According to Yap, the committee will exercise its oversight functions by looking into how different government agencies disburse or utilize their funds.
For 2021, the national budget is P4.506 trillion or 9.9 percent higher than this year’s budget of P4.1 trillion.
“I-eexercise natin ang oversight functions ng Committee para silipin ang budget at kung paano ito ginamit lalo ngayong panahon na bawat piso ay mahalaga dahil sa pandemya,” Yap stressed.
First to be scrutinized, according to Yap, are the agencies that collect taxes like the Bureau of Customs (BOC).
But Yap said he has trust and confidence in Customs Commissioner Rey Leonardo Guerrero.
“Matagal na panahon na sinasabing talamak ang corruption sa BOC pero binago ni Commissioner Guerrero ang imahe ng Bureau dahil sa mga repormang inumpisahan niya,” Yap said.
“Tutulungan natin si Commissioner Guerrero para hanapin ang anay sa ahensya, i-pinpoint ang mga tiwaling opisyal at linisin ang BOC,” he added.
The solon warned erring BOC officials that they are not untouchable.
“Hindi kayo untouchable, if you are doing corrupt practices, now is the best time to stop. Your time will come at sa parating na Bicameral Conference para sa 2021 National Budget, kung kailangang bawasan o tanggalan ng budget ang ahensya, gagawin natin dahil hindi sila nararapat makatanggap ng pondo mula sa kaban ng bayan,” Yap also said.
In an interview with the media, Yap mentioned probing other agencies that include the Bureau of Internal Revenue (BIR) and Department of Transportation (DoTR.) Yap said the committee investigation will be done while the Senate is debating the 2021 proposed national budget.
He gave assurances that the investigation will not affect the timely passage of the 2021 national budget.
