Palace on DAP: No criminality, no wrongdoing, no regrets

MANILA, Philippines — The Supreme Court has declared parts of the Disbursement Acceleration Program (DAP) unconstitutional but this does not mean that the implementation of the fund scheme was a criminal act, Malacañang said on Wednesday.

Presidential Spokesperson Edwin Lacierda said there was nothing "inherently" wrong with realigning government funds intended for slow-moving projects to other programs.

"You seem to equate unconstitutionality with criminality. Those are two different things," Lacierda told reporters in a press briefing.

"When you speak of unconstitutionality, it does not immediately equate to wrongdoing," he also said.

Lacierda cited the decisions of the Supreme Court declaring the Aquino administration's Truth Commission and parts of the Reproductive Health law as unconstitutional.

He pointed out that nobody filed a criminal case.

The Palace official also said that the Aquino administration has no regrets over the DAP because it "acted in good faith" and that the money used through the fund scheme went to its intended purpose.

He said government agencies reaped benefits through the DAP such as the Doppler radar system and the Project NOAH of the Department of Science and Technology.

"Do those projects diminish the moral integrity of the President, when they have benefited the people? Essentially, our continued belief is that the DAP has benefited the people in a number of projects that we have done," Lacierda said.

"How does one regret a decision to help thousands of people?" the Palace official asked.

Lacierda also said they have no concerns that the DAP controversy may lead to a People Power Revolution that would lead to the ouster of President Aquino.

The Aquino administration introduced the DAP in 2011 to help boost the economy.

After a high court decision yesterday, some camps have called for the impeachment of Aquino, saying the President committed culpable violation of the Constitution and betrayal of public trust.

Miriam disagrees

In a press conference earlier today, Senator Miriam Defensor Santiago expressed a different view and called for the filing of criminal and civil cases against officials involved in the DAP program.

She said the fund scheme is a form of thievery.

"In effect, it is saying as long as you're in good faith, you can violate what the constitution prohibits," Santiago said in a televised press conference. "The Ombudsman, in cooperation with thejustice, should file a criminal case against each person because that's a crime."

"The Constitution says you cannot do that and then you went ahead and did it and now you have nothing to answer for," she added.