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Aquino’s DAP doctrine: good intentions superior to Constitution

Aquino stands by Secretary Butch Abad.
Aquino stands by Secretary Butch Abad.
Finally, President Aquino will speak to the people of the Philippines on the controversial Disbursement Acceleration Program or DAP today (July 14),Malacañang announced.

Today is exactly two weeks after the Supreme Court in a unanimous decision declared as unconstitutional Aquino and his Budget Secretary Florencio “Butch” Abad pet project.

Malacañang sources said Aquino was stunned by the voting (13-0. Not even his appointees especially Chief Justice Lourdes Sereno sided with him!) he threw tantrums. He wants to wage war against the Supreme Court justices.

Wonder no more why House Speaker Feliciano Belmonte, Jr. wants an investigation on the Judiciary Development Fund being administered by the Supreme Court.

Last Friday Aquino gave the public a preview of what he is going to say today. During the cabinet meeting on the 2015 budget, Aquino announced that he was rejecting the resignation of Abad. “I have decided not to accept his resignation. To accept his resignation is to assign to him a wrong and I cannot accept the notion that doing right by our people is wrong.”

Yesterday Abad, who was silent the past two weeks issued a statement taking responsibility for the illegal DAP which was the reason, he said, he tendered his resignation. But there was no apology or remorse for making a mockery of the budget process with the juggling of P374 billion.

He just said: Yesterday, however, before we deliberated on the proposed 2015 budget, the President announced that he would not accept my resignation. He explained that accepting it was tantamount to acknowledging wrongdoing on my end, contrary to the fact that the DAP—as conceived and implemented—proved beneficial to the country’s economy and the Administration’s bid for rapid and inclusive growth.”

Applause to support Aquino's DAP doctrine of 'good intentions.'
Applause to support Aquino’s DAP doctrine of ‘good intentions.’

We do not know what Abad means by “rapid and inclusive growth.” Definitely it does not include me and my friends, my neighbors and a lot of people I know. We also do not know what formula they used to specifically attribute to DAP their claim of “rapid and inclusive growth.”

Aquino’s doctrine of governance is a takeoff from the Florentine philosopher Niccolò Machiavelli’s “The end justifies the means.”

Cabinet members were seen applauding when Aquino announced his rejection of Abad’s resignation. The only one who was not clapping was Vice President Jejomar Binay,the housing czar.

Following Aquino’s doctrine that as long as you have good intentions, it is right, we should applaud the New People’s Army for killing soldiers who, in their mind, are agents of an oppressive regime. They say their intention is to liberate the Filipino people from oppression.

We should call for the abolition of the Commission on Human Rights for criticizing Davao Mayor Rodrigo Duterte and condemning vigilantes, who kill people without going through the justice system. The vigilantes say what they want is peace and order, which we all want.

Since good intention is a good excuse to trash the Constitution, the late President Ferdinand Marcos should then be buried in the Libingan ng mga Bayani because he claims to have saved the Philippines from becoming a communist state by declaring Martial Law.

Imelda Marcos, should be given an award for building all those edifices and medical institutions – Cultural center, Philippine International Convention Center, Philippine Heart Center, National Kidney Center, and many more – all in pursuit of her wish for the Filipino people to have “The True, the Good, and the Beautiful.”

There’s an added problem though: Aquino believes he has the monopoly of good intentions.

Published inGovernanceMalaya

18 Comments

  1. Juan Dimalanta Juan Dimalanta

    “Malacañang sources said Aquino was stunned by the voting (13-0. Not even his appointees especially Chief Justice Lourdes Sereno sided with him!) he threw tantrums. He wants to wage war against the Supreme Court justices ”

    Heto na naman tayo. Di ba dapat lang na magalak dahil may mga huwes na tapat sa batas at di sa Palasyo ? 😀

  2. chi chi

    Aba, kung ganyan dapat ipatuka sa cobra si Abad! 😀

    Magkamot na lang ng ulo si Binay, but Pnoy will never let go of Abad, ano magdurusa siya na solo?

  3. Joe America Joe America

    It is so easy to criticize. It is so hard to run this nation. One has to decide whom to trust, those working earnestly to build a sound economy or those who side with leftists and the corrupt in trying to bring the Administration down, as if instability were the best way forward.

    Inclusive growth does not mean that you get a pay raise or P50,000 sent to your bank account. It means projects are done outside of Manila to get the flow of good work and more jobs broadly across the nation.

  4. snooper snooper

    I agree with # 3. It is so easy to judge. Sa totoo lang, it is difficult to please everyone in our country. We are so quick to forget those who really took advantage of us, like the Arroyos. We were quick to pardon those who really plundered like Estrada. Sana bago natin batuhin ng batuhin ang mga namumuno, let us give them a chance to show proof that indeed they used the DAP funds to help the economy grow.

  5. vic vic

    Totally agree with # 3 as I can relate the same exactly to our Recent issue similar in Scope and could perhaps if the investigation all wrap laced with VERY bad intentions..and here is what did occur…

    The previous Provincial Govt. Cancelled the construction of two Giant natural Gas Generation Plant giving the reason that proper Consultations with the Local Residents were not complied with and told the public that it will cost not more than a couple hundreds of Millions ($200 millions)in penalties (contracts ) and relocations of the plants.

    But with the Access to Information Act, the Media and the Opposition found out that other considerations were factors in the cancellation of the Constructions, and one of them is to win the two Seats that the Govt. needed most to maintain its Majority as the residents do not want the plants in their localities which already have Giants Ford Motor Plants..The government lost the two Seats and further access to the records revealed the Penalties and Relocation cost could breach the $1 billion mark (total is $1.1 billions)

    The Premier Quit, and the Police were called in to conduct the Criminal Probe and it is still ongoing as there are tons of evidence to be totally investigated…

    But did the voters pre-judged the Govt and the Liberal Party…in Fact the New Premier who replaced the resigned Premier, the very First open Gay (lesbian) Premier, who run the election on her own Records as an MP and former Education Minister (oh yes she is the one brought in the in-school day care for our kinder one and two and limit the Student to not more than 20 per class for lower grades) won Handily the Mandate of Majority on the Promise of Constructing more Cleaner Energy (her govt. abolished the Coal powered plants)…$29 billions Transit programs and more investment on education and Health (in 2015 we will have all our health records in a Central file for Fast and Quick access by health providers anywhere, this one has wasted upward to $2 billions before it was made to work, but like they said, progress do not come in pennies and dimes and it involves many failures and challenges, before you can smile and tell the people, we did it.)

    And if we keep finding Blame instead of the Police doing it for us for the Bad Apples among us..then that is what we will be doing for eternity…

  6. MPRivera MPRivera

    lahat ng yaman, kasaganaan, kapangyarihan at pagpapasiya ay nasa mga katulad nina abad at noynoy MALIBAN lamang sa KAHIHIYAN kung alin ay tuyot na sa kanilang pagkatao.

    buong pagmamayabang nilang ipinagsisigawan na ang salaping nakapaloob sa DAP ay inilaan para sa magagandang layunin PERO kanino ba talaga? sa mga karaniwang mamamayan? o sa kanikanilang magkakaalyado sa pulitika lamang?

    “……..I cannot accept the notion that doing right BY OUR people is wrong.”

  7. baycas2 baycas2

    “Ang epektibong paggugol ng pondo ay hindi lang po dikta ng aking konsensya, malinaw din pong nakasaad sa iba’t ibang probisyon ng isang batas na ang pangalan ay Administrative Code of 1987, at tinalakay ang paggamit ng savings. Halimbawa, basahin natin ngayon (nandiyan sa inyong mga screen) ang Book VI, Chapter 5, Section 39 ng 1987 Administrative Code of the Philippines:

    “—Except as otherwise provided in the General Appropriations Act, any savings in the regular appropriations authorized in the General Appropriations Act for programs and projects of any department, office or agency, may, with the approval of the President, be used to cover a deficit in any other item of the regular appropriations…”

    Nakita naman po ninyo, na ayon sa batas na ito, hayagang binibigyan ng kapangyarihan ang Pangulo na maglipat ng savings sa ibang proyekto. Walang nakasaad na limitado sa isang departamento o sangay ng gobyerno ang paglilipat ng savings. Sa simpleng salita po: Hindi tayo lumabag sa batas nang ipatupad natin ang DAP.”

    – PNoy, July 14, 2014

    (Emphasis mine.)

    And yet the 1987 Constitution states “RESPECTIVE”…twice in Article VI…

    Section 25…

    (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 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.

    …which is in ARTICLE VI, THE LEGISLATIVE DEPARTMENT.

  8. Mike Mike

    Why not just junk the constitution. and just run the country using good intentions as guide.

  9. Joe America Joe America

    #6 MP Rivera, I read your negativity and bitterness and scorn and weep for the Philippines. How are those of us who want an upbeat, uplifted, working Philippines supposed to feel excited about the nation when we see (a) a decent president doing a good job, and (b) people who simply will not see or accept that? It gets tiresome wading through all the negative slime that seems to be the heart and soul of this nation sometimes.

  10. MPRivera MPRivera

    mr. joe of america, yes i really feel bitter but only because the decent president you are referring to stubbornly ignore what the SC asks about the implementation of DAP. SC justices uninamously question NOT the intention BUT the propriety of creating this anomalous DAP. if it reaaly was for the good of the nation WHY hide it in the first place? why did the palace not asked the congress for the enactment of a law that would transfer the savings to the discretion of the president?

    IF this DAP was really intented for a noble purpose the palace occupant should have given the go ahead of releasing the initial PhP3.8 billion he promised for our rehabilitation in zamboanga city after our properties were burned during the siege and the additional PhP2 billion that rep. tupay loong asked seeing the initial amount would not suffice to rehabilitate us.

  11. MPRivera MPRivera

    ikaw ang presidente, hahamunin mo ang korte suprema na magkakaroon ng banggaan ang dalawang magkapantay na sangay ng gobyerno kapag hindi binawi ng mga mahistrado ang kanilang desisyon sa unconstitunality ng DAP?

    sa halip na mag-sorry dahil nagpadala siya sa sulsol ni abad kahit hindi niya (noynoy) nauunawaan kung may legalidad o wala ang pagpapalutang ng DAP ay ginagawa niyang hostage ang bayan sa inuumpishan niyang pakikipagbanggan sa korte suprema?

    dapat ay mamulat siya (noynoy) na tunay na mali ang basta na lamang niya pagpayag sa paggawa ng isang bagay na walang malinaw na batayang legal kahit pa isang abogado itong si abad DAHIL mismong ang kanyang mga appointed magistrates ay sinupalpal ang kanilang DAP!

    again, it was NOT the intention but the DECENCY of creating DAP that was put into question by the SC.

  12. saxnviolins saxnviolins

    A motion for reconsideration will give the Supreme Court the opportunity to order an accounting of the DAP funds.

    That may put this Executive in bigger trouble.

    The best test of good intentions is an accounting to see which activities were stopped to generate “savings” and where those “savings” were spent. Without hard facts, everything is empty posturing.

    Mukhang zigzag ang daan tungo sa accounting nitong mga daang matuwid.

    BS Aquino daw, for Benigno Simeon. Meron akong ibang B S.

    Balat Sibuyas Aquino.

  13. Joe America Joe America

    #10, MPRivera. Let’s slip into the President’s shoes. He came into office in mid-year 2010 and found the budget had been allocated already and many of the projects seemed like nonsense or even corrupt. What to do? (1) Keep funding the projects, (2) stop them and turn the money back to the Treasury and watch the economy sag, (3) study other projects available, move money there, and stimulate the economy. He chose number three. Any good, performance-driven corporate CEO would do the same thing. Why do we want Mr. Aquino to give us a slow-growing economy and poor performance? That is, make us poorer?

  14. Joe America Joe America

    I forgot to address Congress giving the President authority. That would require a Constitutional amendment, a delay of at least a year or two. Not practical.

  15. MPRivera MPRivera

    what’s the use of having three co-equal government branches if the president always thinks he’s having all the authority to do anything that would please himself? what’s the use of the constitution if it would be trampled by the highest elected official JUST to save his most (t)rusted man in the cabinet?

    aba’y tanggalin na la’ang ‘yang saligang batas dahil nagkakabutas butas ang mga probisyon sa pagiging siga at pasaway ng supreme president!

    kawawa ang itataas ang kamay bilang kandidato ng administrasyon. siya ang aani ng karma!

  16. Joe America Joe America

    He is not working to please himself, but to develop a nation. He is the executive in charge of running operations, just like a corporate CEO. The Legislature is like the Board of Director’s, crafting bylaws and doing oversight work. The Judiciary is like the independent Audit function.

    The Legislature does not oversee the cabinet, or the Judiciary. The cabinet is the working departments that get things done.

    How can the head of the cabinet get anything done if he as no authority and always has to check with the legislators or judges?

  17. jonvibar jonvibar

    being the president does not only mean building projects outside the metro. The task of the president is to defend the constitution. Dont you know that? And it is exactly why we have 3 branches of govt. For checks and balance. (Not cheques & balanse). That is also why the executive branch submits to the legislature the annual budget. Is tge executive to lazy to plan? Or they dont know how to plan? Or they wont plan so they can get kickbacks?

  18. jcj2013 jcj2013

    Kung ninakaw ni PNoy at Abad ang pera sa DAP, maaari pa akong sumali sa pagbugbog sa Malakanyang. Pero wala namang nakawan, wala namang ebidensya kahit katiting. Bakit ba tuwang-tuwa tayo sa pambabatikos sa hindi naman nagnanakaw? Progreso lamang ang intensyon ng administrasyong ito hinggil sa DAP. Kung walang ninakaw, walang problema.

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