Nanghingi ng paglilinaw si Sen. Erwin Tulfo kaugnay sa pagpapatawag kay Department of Public Works and Highways (DPWH) Sec. Vince Dizon, sa pagpapatuloy ng Bicameral Conference Committee Meeting para sa budget ng ahensya nitong Linggo, Disyembre 14.

Aniya, bakit pa raw kailangang tawagin si Sec. Dizon gayong ang ikinakasang pagpupulong ay isang bicam committee meeting sa pagitan ng Senado at Kamara.

“Mr. Chair, Madam Chair, gusto ko lang pong maliwanagan na bakit po natin ipapatawag ang Secretary po ng Department of Public Works and Highways—when in fact this is a bicameral conference committee? Conference po between the lower house and the upper chamber, ‘di po ba ng Congress and Senate,” panimula ni Sen. Tulfo.

“Wala naman pong nakalagay dito na kasama po ang Executive. Ang tanong ko po kasi, we have given them ample time Madam Chair the opportunity to explain during the committee hearings—committee hearing po sa Congress, committee hearing po namin dito sa Senate—ganoon din po sa plenary debate sa Congress, plenary debate dito sa Senate,” dagdag pa niya.

Ayon pa sa mambabatas, nag-aalala siya na baka hindi na ito matapos, dahil sa tuwing pag-uusapan ang pondo ng isang ahensya, ginigiit ang presensya ng kalihim nito.

“Ang worry ko lamang Madam Chair, Mr. Chair, is that we might be creating a precedent na baka hindi na po tayo matapos sa tuwing ‘pag mayroon po tayong pagdidiskusyunan na budget ng isang department o ng ahensya, kailangan po nating ipatawag lagi ang secretary para magpaliwanag sa bicameral conference committee, Madam Chair, Mr. Chair,” aniya.

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Binuweltahan naman ni Rep. Rufus Rodriguez ang mga naging pahayag ni Sen. Tulfo.

“This is a plenary conference committee, and in any committee in Congress—whether it is in the House or in the Senate, has the power to be able to have resource persons to explain things that may not be very clear to everyone,” saad ni Rep. Rodriguez.

“And so, do we have the power to invite, and precisely, there is now an issue on the price index, and therefore we are saying that let us listen, we do not agree, we may agree, but the point is that transparency requires that we hear the  Executive—after all, is the Executive that will implement what we will pass,” dagdag pa niya. “And if the Executive says that this is…these are the things that they have to consider, and since they are the ones implementing, Congress does not implement projects. So that is why we are requesting just to hear. We are not going to say that we are going to agree to the letter, or the recommendation, but let us hear the real resource person, the agency lodged with the Public Works and Highways of this country.”

Samantala, pinayagan namang magpaliwanag sa naturang pagpupulong si DPWH Sec. Dizon.

Vincent Gutierrez/BALITA