Senator Cynthia Villar said the Senate could also hold a parallel probe on the “pork parking” scam issue, which involved billions of alleged funds insertion in the proposed 2019 budget.
Villar stressed, however, that Senate would not want to preempt the outcome of the investigation being initiated by the Lower House. “We still don’t know and we are not part in the investigation so the Senate will have to wait for the House probe result,” the seasoned legislator said.
The Senate probe could come later, the veteran lawmaker noted. “Let the House investigate on this, on how huge amount of funds were inserted allegedly by the Department of Budget and Management (DBM).”
“Let the House investigate on this, on how huge amount of funds were inserted allegedly by the Department of Budget and Management (DBM).”
Taking cue from Senator Panfilo Lacson, the lady senator said Senate could conduct a similar investigation as soon as it receives the result of the investigation done by the Lower House.
A probe by the upper chamber may be possibly set in January, she added.
Villar was guest during the Awarding Ceremony for the Outstanding Communal Vegetable Garden and Cleanest and Greenest Municipality at the Albay Astrodome in Legazpi City.
“We don’t want to comment about this issue, we leave this to the House of Congress for them to dig out how this practice happened and who is involved,” she said in an ambush interview.
“We leave this to the House of Congress for them to dig out how this practice happened and who is involved.”
Lacson recently exposed the “pork parking” to media, which he describes as a new kickback scheme by lawmakers, where big amounts of funds are “parked” in a legislative district by well-connected congressmen.
Lacson added that a Senate probe on the issue would scrutinize the budget of the Department of Public Works and Highways (DPWH) and would ask officials to explain the alleged questionable budget insertions.
