House oversight panel to hold hearings during Xmas break — Suarez

By Ellson Quismorio

The newly-formed Committee on Public Accounts will spend the Christmas break holding public hearings at the House of Representatives.

Minority Leader and Quezon Rep. Danilo Suarez
(Kj Rosales/Manila Bulletin)

House Minority Leader Danilo Suarez, committee chairman, underscored the “broadened scope” of the erstwhile-known Committee on Oversight.

“Kung susundin mo yung Committee on Oversight ng version ng panahon ni PNoy (President Benigno S. Aquino III), ni-limit niya sa LEDAC (Legislative-Executive Development Advisory Council) lang (If will follow the Committee on Oversight during the time of PNoy, he limited it to the LEDAC). So that limits the scope of the oversight function,” he said.

This time around, Suarez noted that his panel would also tackle matters other than the laws, plans and programs approved by the LEDAC.

“Dito sa bagong committee, yung Committee on Public Accounts, (Here in the new committee, the Committee on Public Accounts), broadened. So that’s precisely the reason why maraming (there is a lot)…we expect a number of Committee hearings kahit ngayong (even with the upcoming) Christmas break,” he said.

Activated by Malacañang, the LEDAC is a mechanism used by the President to ensure coordination with Congress on the administration’s legislative agenda.

Both chambers of Congress are scheduled to go on holiday recess beginning December 13, 2018.

It was only last month when the Committee on Public Accounts was officially constituted with Suarez named as panel chairman and a handful of others as his vice chairmen. These are SAGIP Party-List Rep. Rodante Marcoleta, AN WARAY Party-List Rep. Victoria Isabel Noel, Antipolo 1st district Rep. Cristina Roa-Puno, and Mandaluyong City lone district Rep. Alexandria Gonzales.

January 15, 2019 marks the resumption of sessions following the Christmas break.

Suarez assured that his panel won’t encroach on the “Public Accountability” part of the Committee on Good Government and Public Accountability.

He said former President Aquino “collapsed” the previous iteration of the Oversight panel during the start of the 15th Congress.

“Noong kinollapse niya ang Oversight, sina Speaker Belmonte naglabas ng isang adjunct na committee (When he collapsed the Oversight panel, Speaker Feliciano Belmonte ordered the creation of an adjunct committee) to handle that plus they created specific oversight for every major committee,” recalled Suarez.