Senator Francis Escudero demanded that Malacañang submit all contracts and agreements entered into by the government under the official development assistance to the oversight committee for ODA which he chairs, a press release from his office said yesterday.

Escudero stressed this even after the Palace announced the suspension of 11 infrastructure projects under the ODA fund.

The senator also said that existing, proposed and potential "project loans and program loans" for future fiscal years, should be submitted ahead to Congress together with the proposed national budget, so these can also be approved.

He said the practice now is to submit the budget with program loans and project loans proceeds already embedded in it. What we want are prospective ones, not the ones that are already signed, sealed and delivered.

Escudero stressed that under the law, the congressional oversight committee on ODA is tasked to review all ODA contracts and agreements, in addition to the National Economic and Development Authority and the Commission on Audit, the press release said.

He said that more than the private sector and the PTG, it is the oversight committee on ODA that has the power to look into these contracts entered into by government including the now controversial national Broadband Network project.

Escudero had been calling for the convening of the congressional oversight committee for overseas development assistance to prevent and avoid wanton approval of loans contracted with neither congressional consultation nor consent. "Congress has been reduced to a rubber stamp, with no choice but to provide budgetary cover, because it cannot rescind what have become sovereign guarantees," he said.*

back to top