Ibinahagi ng dating Film Development Council of the Philippines (FDCP) chairman na si Liza Diño-Seguerra ang pagkapanalo niya kontra sa inihaing notice of disallowance sa kaniya ng Commission on Audit (COA) kaugnay ng pamamahagi niya ng financial assistance sa mga empleyado ng FDCP noong kasagsagan ng pandemya.
Sa Facebook post ng dating FDCP chair, gabi ng Linggo, Setyembre 7, ibinahagi niya ang kaniyang panig tungkol sa nabanggit na legal victory.
Isinalaysay niya ang dahilan kung bakit siya nagdesisyong mag-cash advance upang isagawa ang nabanggit na financial assistance.
Mababasa sa kaniyang post, "I want to share something deeply personal — something I've quietly fought since the pandemic began."
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"During the COVID-19 pandemic, I secured prepaid health cards and provided grocery aid to my FDCP employees. Most of them were on contract of service, without the same benefits regular employees enjoy. My goal was simple: to make sure that if they were hospitalized or struggled during lockdown, they would be cared for."
"The Commission on Audit (COA) disallowed this expense, saying it was not allowed under existing rules. They ordered me and my management to personally return almost ₱880,000 in aid — healthcare and groceries already given to over 100 employees. The most painful part? If I had followed their ruling, my own employees — the very people this was meant to protect — would have been forced to return the assistance they had already used to survive."
"I fought this case all the way to the Supreme Court because I knew my intention was to protect my people, not to break rules. This was humanitarian assistance — an act of leadership and compassion in a time of crisis — not abuse.
Two days ago, we received the decision (issued in January) — the Supreme Court ruled in our favor, recognizing my actions as being in the name of social justice," aniya pa.
Giit ni Diño, kinikilala niya ang rules subalit kinailangan niyang gawin ang financial assistance para sa mga empleyado bilang isang lider, para sa safety at health nila.
"Rules are important. They exist to set parameters and prevent abuse. But when they are applied without understanding why they exist and the people they are meant to serve, they can become restrictive and even punitive — punishing acts done in good faith," paliwanag niya.
"Inilaban po namin na hindi pabayaran sa mga empleyado yung support na naibigay na sa kanila because this was given in the name of their safety and health."
"In a time when billions are lost to anomalous, government-sanctioned projects, this case may seem small. But for me, it’s vindication — proof that integrity matters, and that public service should always be about protecting people, not hiding behind rules."
"Ang COA dapat hinahabol yung mga nagnanakaw ng kabuhayan at kaligtasan ng sambayanang Pilipino — hindi ang mga lider na inuuna ang kapakanan ng mga tao."
"This fight has always been bigger than me. It’s for every worker who deserves real protection, and for every leader who chooses compassion because protecting people, especially in times of crisis, will always matter more than blind compliance," dagdag pa.
Pinasalamatan ni Diño ang ilang mga taong nakatulong sa kaniyang kaso, gaya ng kaniyang legal counsel, ang binanggit niyang si Ria na hindi raw nag-hesitate na iakyat ang usapin sa SC, at maging ang mga FDCP staff.
"To my FDCP staff, salamat for trusting me to keep fighting even when it felt hopeless. And to the Supreme Court — thank you for seeing the value of what was done in the spirit of social justice," aniya.
