THE Metropolitan Manila Development Authority (MMDA) yesterday said there was nothing illegal in the transfer of at least P3 billion from the Free Wi-Fi Program For All of the Department of Information and Communications Technology (DICT) to the agency.
MMDA chairperson Romando Artes made the statement in response to the privilege speech of Northern Samar Rep. Paul Daza, who said the fund transfer was “highly suspicious.”
Daza has said that a significant portion of the P12 billion budget that Congress allotted to the DICT for its free wi-fi program were “somehow transferred to the MMDA through Memorandums of Agreement.”
The lawmaker said such inter-agency transfers, without the benefit of clear guidelines from Congress, were highly suspicious, if not illegal.
But Artes said there was nothing suspicious or anomalous in the move.
“Inter-agency transfer of funds is completely legal and not prohibited. The MMDA will answer in the proper forum all points raised by Congressman Daza,” Artes said.
Aside from the fund transfer, Daza also questioned how MMDA is spending the P1.1 billion funds it received from the DICT for the NCR Fiber Optic Backbone Development Project.
The Samar solon likewise said the MMDA’s Landscape Treatment Project for Pocket Parks in several areas in the metropolis costing P33.2 million as well as expenditure on two laptops worth P181,000 and a tablet worth P121,000 appeared to be overpriced.
In response, Artes reiterated that the agency would answer all the issues raised by Daza in the proper forum.
The DICT has yet to issue a statement on the issue.
