Freshly-appointed Department of Budget and Management (DBM) Secretary Kim Robert de Leon said he will review the Maintenance and Other Operating Expenses (MOOEs) of government agencies amid calls for greater transparency and accountability in public spending.
Speaking at the launch of the Philippines’ partnership agreement with the European Union (EU) and the United Nations Development Programme (UNDP) on Thursday, De Leon said the directive comes ahead of next week’s budget review and is aimed at improving efficiency and transparency as investigations into the flood control scandal continue.
“I want to review all the MOOE items. I'm not just looking at capital outlay. I would like to see how the MOOE items emerge because we have very limited fiscal space,” he said.
“And if there is room for us to clear some MOOE items to give way to big-ticket infrastructure projects that we actually need, that the Filipino people actually need, then let's do that,” he added.
MOOEs refer to the operational funds government agencies use for routine expenditures such as utilities, office supplies, repairs, travel, and maintenance. While the flood control scandal initially centered on allegations of ghost projects, kickbacks, and substandard infrastructure, the controversy has since expanded to include broader concerns over public spending and the national budgeting process.
De Leon said accountability should apply to all violations of the law, regardless of the size of the project, underscoring the need to hold public officials accountable as those allegedly involved in the graft scandal continue to face scrutiny.
“My proposition is that if accountability is expected from a billion-peso flood control project, accountability should also be at the same level for a one-peso project,” he said.
“I'm not saying let's forget flood control. But if you look at the bigger picture, there are budgets far larger than flood control that we should also be examining,” he added.
Senator Jinggoy Estrada recently became the latest public official to be detained, facing charges of graft and plunder over alleged irregularities involving public funds intended for flood control projects in Bulacan. The Office of the Ombudsman on Thursday afternoon filed cases against contractor couple Sarah and Curlee Discaya, while former Senator Bong Revilla remains detained in the same jail as Estrada in Payatas for similar charges.
