No DAP accounting for now—Palace

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MANILA – Malacañang said on Tuesday that it will not yet start the accounting of the Disbursement Acceleration Program (DAP) funded projects adding that a comprehensive review on the Supreme Court’s decision is their priority.

Some acts in the fund scheme were earlier declared unconstitutional by the SC.

As a response, the administration is now focusing on the conduct of a comprehensive review on the SC’s decision, according to Presidential Communications Operations Office head Herminio Coloma Jr.

“Sa aming palagay, hindi pa napapanahon na usisain o siyasatin o himay-himayin ang mga iba’t ibang proyekto dahil bahagi yan ng decision itself. (In our opinion, it is not yet the time to investigate and account all the different projects because that is part of the decision itself.) And we would like to be able to frame first our legal position within the bounds permitted by the rules of court,” Coloma also said.

He added that the government’s priority for now is the possible filing of a motion for reconsideration.

Coloma also explain that under the rules of court, the administration is still in the position of conducting legal options to defend its cause.

“Meron pang umiiral na proseso ang batas na pinapahintulutan ang pamahalaan na masusing pag-aralan ang desisyon para makatugon doon sa mga findings sa decision,” Coloma said.

(There as an ongoing process in the law that allows the government to comprehensively review the decision so that it could respond to the findings in the decision.)

After calls for the impeachment of the president and other government officials involved was made, Coloma assured the public that officials will be held responsible “at the right time.”

“Tumatalima naman tayo doon sa mga prinsipyo ng accountability of public officials. Kaya’t makatitiyak tayo na doon sa takdang panahon ay magkakaroon ng pagbubunyag hinggil sa mga bagay na ‘yan,” Coloma said.

(We are following the principle of accountability of public officials. That is why we are sure that at the right time, those things will be exposed.)