MALACAÑANG ON on Tuesday backed the call for the Commission on Audit (COA) to start a fraud investigation into the Bangsamoro Autonomous Region in Muslim Mindanao’s (BARMM) questionable use of its PHP6.4-billion Local Government Support Fund (LGSF).
This, after the House Committee on Public Accounts on Monday urged the audit body to conduct a fraud audit on the BARMM’s release of LGSF to favored villages in the region.
“Alam po natin na may nangyayaring hearing at iyan po ay ating nirerespeto dahil katungkulan naman po nila na magsagawa ng hearing at ito ay may kinalaman din sa kanilang oversight function (We know that a hearing is taking place and we respect that because it is their duty to conduct a hearing and it is also related to their oversight function),” Presidential Communications Office Undersecretary and Palace Press Officer Claire Castro said in a Palace press briefing.
“So, kung ano po ang iniimbestigahan diyan ay talaga pong nararapat lamang na bigyan ng pansin at itama ang dapat na itama (So, what is being investigated there really deserves attention and what needs to be corrected),” she added.
The House Committee on Public Accounts alleged that bank accounts of over 400 villages in Lanao del Sur province had received funds amounting between PHP500,000 and PHP2.5 million from the LGSF.
The COA is responsible for auditing funds exceeding PHP50 million, the panel said, citing the agency’s internal auditing rules and policies.
Castro clarified that the issue has nothing to do with the recent BARMM leadership change.
She said Marcos named Abdulraof Macacua as Interim Chief Minister of BARMM to allow Ahod Ebrahim to focus on the next parliamentary elections in the region.
“Si Sir Ebrahim mismo ang nagsabi na kaya po siya bibitaw at dahil magko-concentrate po siya sa BARMM Parliamentary elections (Sir Ebrahim himself said that he can resign and because he will concentrate on the BARMM Parliamentary elections),” Castro said. (Ruth Abbey Gita-Carlos)
No comments:
Post a Comment