Firing Line
budget of government agencies.
Robert B. Roque, Jr.
Challenge
LIOUSE Speaker Alan Cavetano
I lhas had enouqh as he dared
Senators Panfilo "ping', Lacson and
Franklin Drilon to take a lie-detector
test with him.
The whole point ofthe challenoe
is for Cayetano to prove his claim
that he did not pocket a sinole
centavo from the Southeast Asian
Games.
Lacson remarked that the trans_
fer of F1,5 billion pubtic funds for
the SEA Games from the philip-
prne sports Commission (pSC) to
the Cayetano-led private group
was stmilar to the controversial
pork barrel scam led bv Janet
Napoles.
Drilon earlier slammed tbe F50_
million cauldron, which could have
allegedly funded the education of
public school chitdren and branded
it as Cayetano's cauldron.
Being the chair ofthe philippine
ting legislator who scrutinizes the
And where were these critics
when Phisgoc needed them?. the
House Speaker asked. He said thev
should have volunteered
to head
the organizing committee or
could at least have secured the
Southeast Asian Games Oroaniz-
ing Committee (phisgoc), ii was
budget for the group,
expected for Cayetano to feel hurt
In line with president Du_
terte's order for an investioa-
and insulted.
tion on the supposed shena-ni-
Instead of pocketing any centavo, gans on the sportinq event.
Cayetano claimed he and his DeoDle
Cayetano ordered that a lettei
even had to shell out some of their
personal money for the event.
be sent to the Commission on
Audit to conduct an indepen_
Since Cayetano took on the dent audit of all funds used in
role of lead organizer for the SEA
Games, its budget was inserted in
the SEA Ga mes.
Cayetano firmly believed that
the 2019 Department of Foreion Af_
fairs (DFA) budqet, which the tiouse
there were individuals behind
a smear campaign against him
Speaker formerly headed. \ and the SEA Games and prom-
Cayetano wondered whv the
rsed to unmask them.
senators were now wonderinc whv
the SEA Games budqet was todoe6
Senator Bong Go, chair of
the Senate committee on sports,
on the DFA since they themsel-ves
vowed to initiate a Senate inouirv
approved ofthe 2019 national bud-
into the issues that led to inmnve-
get for the regional sports meet.
niences experienced bV deleoates.
Cayetano also said it was eaw for
his critics to accuse him of havino a
8ut as Firing Line point6d out
earlier, if a probe were to be con-
conflict of interest, being a phisg-oc
cnart and, at the same time, a sit_
ducted, it should be done after
the games, c,.]?e1