Senator Francis ‘Kiko’ Pangilinan has called for full transparency in government spending of the multi-billion-peso funds in connection with the importation of oil supplies from other sources.

He said the PROTECT Committee in the Senate has been reactivated to compel government agencies led by the Department of Energy to comply with regular reporting, implement full transparency and provide clear updates on the disbursement of emergency funds.

The UPLIFT Committee should also create a transparency dashboard portal to monitor disbursement of public funds and utilization of commodities. The UPLIFT Committee is a high-level Philippine government body formed to address the economic and supply challenges caused by global issues like the conflict in the Middle East.

Senator Pangilinan called for transparency and full reporting of the PHP 8 billion allocation for the Philippine National Oil Company (PNOC).

He said the Department of Budget and Management (DBM) had earlier allocated PHP 20 billion from the Malampaya Gas Fund for the purchase of imported oil supply.

At the same time, he said PHP 500 million has been allocated to purchase biofertilizer under the Quick Response Fund of the Department of Agriculture.

“Large government funds are at stake-so monitoring should be implemented strictly, “said Pangilinan in a statement.

Senator Pangilinan recalled that the country was also facing a crisis from COVID-19 pandemic, when the government lost multi-billion-peso funds from the Pharmally scandal, a company engaged by the Duterte administration on the purchase of overpriced emergency kits.

Do you think the government has enough transparency safeguards in place to prevent misuse of large-scale fuel and energy-related funds?

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