• GILBERT P. BAYORAN
Bacolod City Lone District Rep. Alfredo Abelardo Benitez has urged Public Works and Highways Secretary Manuel Bonoan to take a leave of absence while an investigation is being conducted on the alleged budget cuts on flood control projects, following recent the flooding in Metro Manila and neighboring areas.
“Out of delicadeza and to help preserve the integrity of any inquiry, I respectfully urge the DPWH Secretary to take a leave of absence while the investigation is ongoing. This simple act of good faith will go a long way toward restoring public trust and ensuring that the process is impartial and credible,” he said in a statement.
He added: “When there are questions about a company’s finances, you don’t ask the accountant to audit himself. You bring in someone independent to find the truth.”
Benitez said “the same principle should apply in government” where in “the implementor should not be the evaluator”.
In his State of the Nation Address on July 28, President Ferdinand Marcos Jr. shamed officials and contractors who pocketed funds from flood control projects that failed to mitigate floodwaters during the onslaught of monsoon rain and ordered an audit of these projects on his watch. | GB
