MANILA — The House of Representatives on Tuesday terminated the plenary deliberation on the proposed budgets of the attached agencies of the Presidential Communications Operations Office (PCOO) except for the PCOO-proper.
“The budget for all attached agencies and/or corporations of PCOO is hereby terminated except the Presidential Communications Operations Office-proper,” Deputy Speaker Raneo Abu said as both the majority and minority bloc moved for the termination of the deliberation.
During her interpellation, ACT Teachers Partylist Rep. France Castro asked if PCOO Assistant Secretary Esther Margaux “Mocha” Uson was present.
Uson’s absence last week caused the deferment of plenary deliberations of the agency’s budget. It was Castro who previously moved to defer consideration of the PCOO budget, as she has several questions to ask Uson.
“Hiniling ng kinatawang ito ang presensya ng ating Assistant Secretary Mocha Uson. Andirito po ba siya? (This representation asked for the presence of Assistant Secretary Mocha Uson. Is she here?),” Castro said.
Parañaque City Rep. Eric Olivarez, sponsor of the PCOO budget, said Uson is currently “in transit” back to the Philippines. Uson joined the Philippine delegation that attended the United Nations General Assembly in New York City.
“She will be back tomorrow, but there is no definite time yet when she’ll be coming back tomorrow,” Olivarez said.
Olivarez noted that PCOO Secretary Martin Andanar wrote three times to Uson asking her to attend the budget deliberations at the Lower Chamber but “there was no response coming from her.”
“Dapat maging accountable si Asec. Uson at humarap dito sa Kongreso tulad ng mga ibang opisyales ng ahensiya ng gobyerno (Asec. Uson should be accountable to come here in Congress just like other officials of government agencies),” Castro said.
Deputy Speaker Prospero Pichay, in an interview, said the PCOO-proper’s budget will be deferred “until Mocha comes”.
The PCOO’s PHP1.474-billion budget for next year reflects a 2.75 percent increase of PHP39.434 million, compared to this year’s budget of PHP1.435 billion.
The PCOO budget shall be distributed as follows: PCOO proper, PHP360.988 million; Bureau of Broadcast Service, PHP396.967 million; Bureau of Communications Service, PHP37.186 million; National Printing Office, PHP11.499 million; News and Information Bureau, PHP124.677 million; Philippine Information Agency, PHP337.486 million; and Radio TV Malacañang, PHP205.180 million. (Filane Mikee Cervantes/PNA)
