Ping: Hold accountable officials in budget misuse
Senator Panfilo Lacson is calling for the accountability of government officials who misused funds through unprogrammed appropriations recently struck down by the Supreme Court. While acknowledging the 'operative fact' doctrine protects past good-faith expenditures, he insists that those who acted in bad faith must face legal consequences.
Why it matters
The debate highlights ongoing tensions regarding fiscal responsibility and the constitutionality of budget allocations within the Philippine government.
MANILA, Philippines - While acknowledging the limits of the Supreme Court (SC) ruling that recently struck down unprogrammed appropriations (UA), Sen. Panfilo Lacson wants government officials who acted in bad faith or committed graft using the invalidated budget items to be held accountable.
"We need to run after those who misused budget provisions, which were deemed unconstitutional," Lacson told reporters yesterday.
The senator explained that under the legal doctrine of operative fact, the government cannot simply invalidate or recover funds that were already obligated or disbursed before the high court issued its decision.
The operative fact doctrine is a rule recognized by the SC, wherein a law or an order can be declared unconstitutional but everything that happened while people were following it "in good faith" remains real and valid.
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