Gov. Roel Ragay Degamo announced that he was able to get P961,000,000 as Emergency Rehabilitation Fund from the National Disaster Rehabilitation Fund of the Office of the President.
This Fund is meant for areas hit by natural calamities like storm Sendong. The Province of Negros Oriental was identified as a beneficiary after the on-site visit of President Noynoy.
Governor Degamo insisted that it was through his efforts, and after submission of the required paperwork, that the fund was set aside, and in fact, half of the amount (P480 million) has already been released by the Department of Budget & Management.
The amount was to be used to initiate the dredging and deepening of the various rivers affected by the typhoon in the Province.
There were reports that some rivers nearly dried up due to siltation, and so, needed to be rechanneled.
Then came the news that this Emergency Rehabilitation Fund was withheld due to some questions on the lack of bidding for the sustainability of the projects. Would the ordinary citizen have posed the same questions?
Most people who heard the news about the P961 million fund for Negros Oriental may just have shrugged their shoulders, saying, “Here comes government again, spending our hard-earned money!” Some may have dreamed: “It would be nice if we could get some share from it!” Others would have said: “Woah! What a huge amount for a political war chest!”
Governor Degamo insists that the dredging project on the rivers would result in the “protection of life and property”, and assures the public that he knows whereof he speaks because he is an engineer by profession.
He also says there was no need for bidding because it is an emergency intervention.
Like it or not, there is some logic to what the Governor is saying.
Many people, meanwhile, were waiting for any reactions from the other politicians.
Sure enough, the Representative of the 1st District, Jocelyn Sy- Limkaichong, verbalized what others may have just been keeping in their thoughts all along: Where is transparency in all this? How sustainable would the river projects be? Could there be some politicking here?
Some would say it is healthy in a democracy to ask questions about how public money is spent. Therefore, it was just right for Congressman Limkaichong to ensure the P961 million fund is properly applied.
Many, in fact, agree there should be more checks and balance especially because such monies were hard- earned by taxpayers like you and me.
The Representative of the 3rd District, Henry Pryde Teves, vehemently raised the issue why dredging projects are again resurrected in this Aquino administration, when these, he said were previously stopped for being the milking cow by some corrupt Bicol politicians.
He added that in fact, it would be hard to audit such projects because you will have to deal with siltation after the next rainfall anyway.
This is the beauty of a democracy: somehow there is an invisible hand that ensures that public funds will be a public concern through the Representatives.
Every citizen has the right to question how such public funds are spent.
Some people may now think this is unsolicited intervention, but that’s the price of public service. Like it is said, “A public office is a public trust.” (Guest editorial by Whelma S. Yap)
