Gabriela Women’s Party Representative Luzviminda Ilagan today said the unnecessary delay in the Supreme Court’s decision on the petitions questioning the constitutionality of the Aquino administration’s Disbursement Acceleration Program favors its architects and raises more doubts that a cover-up is being orchestrated for the President and his allies.
“Justice delayed is justice denied. “Habang tumatagal, lalong lumalakas ang suspetsa ng mamamayan na may hokus-pokus na nagaganap,”said Ilagan.
The Gabriela solon who is among the petitioners against DAP said there should be no reason for any further delay as the petitions have long been submitted for decision and the Constitution is explicit and leaves little room for discussion on the matter. Specifically, the constitution states that:
Section 25 (2) Article VI. “No provision or enactment shall be embraced in the General Appropriations Bill unless it relates specifically to some particular appropriation therein. Any such provision or enactment shall be limited in its operation to the appropriation to which it relates”. x x x x x.
(5) No law shall be passed authorizing any transfer of appropriations; however the President, the President of the Senate, the Speaker of the House of Representatives, the Chief Justice of the Supreme Court, and the Heads of the Constitutional Commissions may, by law, be authorized to augment any item in the General Appropriations Law for their respective offices from savings in other items of their respective appropriations.”
“The Supreme Court’s dilly-dallying on Aquino’s DAP will serve only to fuel the people’s anger and the growing demand to make all those involved in the pork barrel scam accountable. This clamor for accountability spares no one, including President Aquino who signed the biggest disbursements in Malacanang.”
Ilagan is set to join nationwide #AbolishPork protests on June 12 at the Liwasang Bonifacio. (Gabriela Women’s Party)
