Ilocos Norte Gov. Imee Marcos INQUIRER FILE PHOTO
Update
The House of Representatives issued a subpoena against Ilocos Norte Governor Imee Marcos after the latter snubbed several committee hearings that investigate the provincial government鈥檚 alleged misuse of tobacco funds.
The committee on good government and public accountability, chaired by Surigao del Sur Rep. Johnny Pimentel, unanimously approved the motion of Majority Leader Rudy Fari帽as to issue a subpoena against the daughter of the late dictator Ferdinand Marcos for repeatedly failing to attend the committee hearings.
Ilocos Norte Sangguniang Bayan member Vicente Lazo asked the committee to read Marcos鈥� letter about her absence in the hearing, but the committee did not agree because he was not under oath.
鈥淚t will pollute and contaminate our records because it鈥檚 not under oath and you know that,鈥� Fari帽as said.
By issuing a subpoena, the House is obliging Marcos to appear before the hearing otherwise she will be cited in contempt.
The House also cited in contempt and thus ordered detained at the House the following provincial government officials 鈥� Engineer Pedro Agcaoili, Chairman ng Bids and Awards Committee and head of the Provincial Planning and Development Office; Eden Battulayan, Accountant 4 of the Provincial Accounting Office; and Provincial Budget Officer Evangeline Tabulog.
Fari帽as moved for them to be cited in contempt after they claimed they forgot about the transactions even though these were just made in 2011.
Earlier, the committee also cited in contempt the following officials 鈥� treasurer聽Josephine Calajete; Encarnacion Gaor and Genedine Jambaro, staff of Office of the Provincial Treasurer; Evangeline Tabulog, provincial budget officer; Eden Battulayan, provincial accounting office accountant IV; Pedro Agcaoili of the provincial planning and development office, and general services officer Joseph Castro.
In a letter to the House Committee on Good Government and Public Accountability dated May 15, 2017, Marcos described as 鈥渦nfair鈥� a House resolution that called the use of tobacco funds as 鈥渉ighly irregular鈥� even before a hearing had started.
搁贰础顿:听Imee Marcos says 鈥榰nfair鈥� to call use of tobacco funds 鈥榟ighly irregular鈥櫬�
It was Fari帽as who filed House Resolution 882 calling for a House investigation into Ilocos Norte government鈥檚 use of the excise taxes on locally-produced Virginia-type cigarettes.
Fari帽as is on his last term in Congress, raising speculations that he would challenge Marcos鈥檚 anointed candidate in the provincial capitol. Marcos is on her last term as governor.
The clans of Fari帽as and Marcos had been in a 鈥渓ove-hate alliance鈥� for years, making the political atmosphere in Ilocos Norte very intense every election period.
The Marcoses cut ties with the Fari帽ases in 2015, reportedly due to political differences.
搁贰础顿:听Marcoses鈥� One-Ilocos Norte crumbles
In calling for the probe, Fari帽as alleged that about P66.45 million tobacco funds were used to purchase minicabs, buses and minitrucks for the different Ilocos Norte municipalities, even though the law鈥擱epublic Act 7171鈥攖hat imposed the tax on Virginia cigarettes states that the excise tax should be used for livelihood projects and infrastructure projects benefitting the tobacco farmers.
Fari帽as alleged the purchases were done without public bidding, constituting violations of the procurement law and the government auditing code.
Marcos said it would not be proper for the committee to investigate Ilocos Norte鈥檚 use of the tobacco funds when other provinces like Abra, Ilocos Sur and La Union were also beneficiaries of the tobacco excise tax.
She also lamented that the resolution already called the purchase of motor vehicles 鈥渉ighly irregular鈥� prior to conducting a hearing.
鈥淲ith due respect, the assertion is unfair and unwarranted. Any inquiry in aid of legislation is, first and foremost, intended to gather information. To declare irregularity even before an inquiry is conducted is lamentably irresponsible,鈥� Marcos said.
Marcos said there was nothing irregular in the purchase because it was intended to improve mobility that will eventually increase productivity, market produce and access.
Marcos said the highly charged words used in the House Resolution that called the purchase irregular reek of 鈥渂ias and oppression,鈥� which may be used for 鈥減olitical persecution.鈥�
鈥淚t is in the spirit of fairness that I sincerely request the Committee on Good Government and Accountability to address these legitimate concerns, so that the integrity of the proceedings and the legislature itself鈥� is not diminished by a haphazard and unconstitutional exercise of congressional authority,鈥� Marcos said. JPV