GRACEFUL EXIT. COA Chairperson Grace Pulido-Tan leaves the Senate after enduring a one-hour grilling from Sen Jinggoy Estrada. The feisty Tan holds her ground and at times answers back. Photo by Ayee Macaraig/Rappler
Sen Jinggoy Estrada grilled Commission on Audit chair Grace Pulido-Tan after she admitted her agency was a beneficiary of funds from the administration’s controversial Disbursement Acceleration Program (DAP). During the Senate plenary deliberations on the COA budget, Estrada asked if DAP funds were used to buy the service vehicle for Commissioner Heidi Mendoza. Tan said yes and added she belatedly found out that the funds came from DAP. Estrada then used her admission to question the budget department’s statements about the purpose of the DAP. Budget Secretary Butch Abad had said the DAP was meant to boost spending. Tan declined to comment, but Estrada said she cannot be objective in the agency’s audit of the DAP if it is also a beneficiary. The Supreme Court is studying petitions on the legality of the DAP. Estrada turned her ire on Tan after COA released an audit report naming him as one of the legislators involved in the pork barrel scam.
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