Justice Secretary Menandro Guevarra yesterday defended a nearly 10 percent increase in the Department of Justice’s (DoJ) National Expenditure Program next year before the House Committee on Appropriations.
The DoJ is seeking P21.253 billion from the proposed 31.149 billion budget, which is higher by 8.59 percent than the 2018 budget it received.
The Office of the DoJ secretary will get the most of the amount at P7,179 billion, while the Public Attorney’s Office (PAO) has 4,295 billion, followed by the Bureau of Corrections with 2,938 billion.
The Office of the Government Corporate Counsel got the biggest percentage change with 60.61 percent and followed by PAO with 34.34 percent.
Meanwhile, Guevarra confirmed that the preliminary investigation on the cases filed against former President Noynoy Aquino, former Budget Secretary Butch Abad and former Health Secretary Janeth Garin, Health Secretary Francisco Duque, officials of Sanofi Pasteur and Zuellig pharmacy is still ongoing.
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‘Sec. Vince Dizon, please explain how this finding of your own team should not be flagged as a ghost project in Taguig.’
According to Guevarra, the pace of the hearings will depend on the evidence being presented.
The pao has filed separate cases of Criminal Negligence resulting in Reckless Imprudence, Violation of Consumer Protection Act, Obstruction of Justice and Violation of Anti-torture Act against those involved in the Dengvaxia controversy.
“All of these complaints are now under preliminary investigation by a panel of prosecutors of the DoJ. We are still in the stage of exchanging or submitting pleadings and, in due time, we’ll be ready to come up with our resolution either for dismissal or filing in court as a case maybe as the evidence will warrant,” Guevarra said.
