LEGAZPI CITY – Senator Cynthia Villar said on Monday the Senate could also hold a parallel probe on the “parking pork” scam issue, which involved billions of alleged funds insertion in the proposed 2019 budget.
Villar stressed, however, that the Senate would not want to preempt the outcome of the investigation being initiated by the Lower House. “We still don’t know and we are not part in the investigation so the Senate will have to wait for the House probe result,” she said.
The Senate probe could come later, Villar noted. “Let the House investigate on this, on how huge amount of funds were inserted allegedly by the Department of Budget and Management (DBM).”
She said on the cue of Senator Panfilo Lacson, the Senate could conduct a similar investigation as soon as it receives the result of the investigation by the Lower House.
A probe by the upper chamber may be possibly set in January, Villar added.
The senator was guest during the Awarding Ceremony for the Outstanding Communal Vegetable Garden and Cleanest and Greenest Municipality at the Albay Astrodome here.
She said in an ambush interview, “We don’t want to comment about this issue, we leave this to the House of Congress for them to dig out how this practice happened and who is involved.”
Lacson recently exposed the “parking pork” to media, a new kickback scheme by lawmakers, where big amounts of funds are "parked" in a legislative district by well-connected congressmen.
He said the Senate, once it holds a probe, would scrutinize the budget of the Department of Public Works and Highways (DPWH) and ask officials to explain the alleged questionable budget insertions. (PNA)
